Colorado Alimony & Spousal Support Attorneys

Establish your Supoort Rights Early

Spousal support: Are you wondering whether you should exercise your right to alimony? Wondering if a Denver court would grant you spousal support? If the answer is yes to any of these questions contact Watson & Associates, LLC for sound representation in maintenance and other family law issues. Submit your case to an attorney for free.

Spousal Maintenance ( formerly called alimony) can be ordered by Colorado courts in a dissolution or marriage action ( divorce) or in an action for legal separation. The request must be made in the initial paperwork submitted to the court. Watson’s alimony and family law services include:

• Spousal maintenance, alimony, spousal support
• Retirement accounts
• Modifications
• Mediation
• Divorce
• Child custody
• Child support
• military divorce
• Out of state family law issues  

When is permanent spousal support ordered?

Permanent maintenance is typically awarded when one of the parties have been the primary income producer, the seeking party has not worked or has not been working for a long time, in lengthy marriages, and the parties are older.

When is temporary maintenance ordered?

When you ask for temporary maintenance during a divorce, and the combined gross income is $75,000 or less, the is a presumption in favor of temporary maintenance from the higher-income party to the lower-income party.

What does the court consider for award of spousal support?

Alimony or spousal maintenance in Colorado is not automatic upon the asking. You should hire a Colorado spousal support attorney that can conduct legal analysis to the following factors that the court considers.

• Award of spousal maintenance includes the analysis of:
• The financial resources of the party seeking maintenance
• Time necessary to acquire sufficient education or training to find appropriate employment
• The future earnining capacity of the person seeking maintenance
• The standard of living established during the marriage
• The duration of the marriage
• The age and the physical and emotional condition of the spouse seeking maintenance
• The ability of the spouse from whom maintenance is sought to meet his or her own needs while maintaining the needs of the other spouse.

Our Denver alimony attorneys can help answer your questions

Spousal support (also called spousal maintenance or alimony) in Colorado is for payment for support and maintenance of a spouse or former spouse, periodically or in lump sum, for a specific period of time or indefinitely. In Denver Metro, it is usually ordered in a divorce action or can be ordered without divorce. If you need prompt and decisive legal representation, contact  a spousal support lawyer at Watson & Associates, LLC. 

We help spousal support clients throughout the Denver metro

Our Denverspousal maintenance lawyers represent clients in Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, Elbert county, El Paso county, Fremont, Jefferson county,  cherry creek, lakewood, Parker, Greelye, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Teller County, Weld County. Call us to Schedule a Free Consultation Today at (720) 941-7200.

What does the court look for?

In determining if you are entitled to spousal support or alimony, a Colorado court considers whether you have sufficient earning potential, whether the other spouse can afford spousal maintenance while being able to support themselves and the lifestyle of the spouses before. Our Denver family law and spousal maintenance are available for immediate help.

Does spousal support apply to me?

Spousal support usually comes into play when one spouse has considerably more earning power than the other spouse. Temporary maintenance is available for the duration of the divorce proceeding, and is available to common law marriages as well. Permanent maintenance is set in the divorce decree, although it can usually be modified if circumstances change.

If awarded, spousal support can be periodic or in a lump sum. Spousal support is not awarded to punish a guilty spouse but rather to lessen the financial impact of divorce on the other spouse.

Spousal Support Considerations

A Colorado divorce court can order temporary maintenance while the divorce is pending. Most maintenance and alimony is ordered for a specific length of time. Awards of spousal maintenance are subject to later modification and enforcement.  

Spousal Support Facts

Temporary maintenance lasts from the divorce filing to the final decree. For couples that make under $75,000 a year combined income, temporary maintenance is 40 percent of the higher earner’s income, minus 50 percent of the lower earner’s income. The final order of maintenance is determined by need and the ability to pay.

Permanent spousal support in Colorado is less common than it used to be. Generally, it is awarded only if the couple has been married for more than 20 years or if one partner is disabled, especially if the disability occurred during the marriage. Alimony can also be temporary, allowing the homemaker spouse time to get back into the workforce.

Contact one of our spousal support or alimony attorneys today (720) 941 7200.