Does a long term marriage impact maintenance in a Louisville divorce? There are many factors which must be considered from the perspective of spousal maintenance. when a long term marriage has occurred. There is no “guideline maintenance” as there is in child support. If the parties earn relatively the same amount of money or there is an abundance of marital property there often is no need for maintenance at all.
Maintenance is intended to level the financial playing field between the parties during the divorce, and provide the ability for the recipient to ultimately become self-sustaining within a given period of time. The Judge in your case has 14 specific factors to consider when determining the need for, amount and duration of maintenance. One of those factors is the length of the marriage.
How does a long term marriage impact maintenance here in North County? Generally speaking, if the couple was married for longer than ten years and there is a substantial difference in the economic viability of the parties the duration of maintenance can be extended for a longer period of time. This is especially true if one of the parties left their career to raise children, support their spouse or manage the household. The Judge will also consider the efforts one spouse made to support the other as they sought education or a professional certification. These sacrifices are part of the factors which must be taken into consideration.
What is the age and relative health of each party? What is their capacity to be self-sustaining from the perspective of the lifestyle the couple enjoyed during the marriage? How does the experience of sharing a long term marriage impact maintenance in your unique circumstances?
We invite you to review the strong recommendations of our former clients and contact us or call 502-584-1108 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced divorce and family law attorneys.
