Talk with your attorney about whether you are a candidate for alimony.
Judges vary greatly in their opinions about whether to award alimony. Among the factors that may affect your eligibility to receive alimony are:
- The length of your marriage;
- Your contributions to the marriage, including the interruption of your career for the care of children or to support your spouse’s career;
- Whether your or your spouse’s income will be impacted by being the custodial parent of the child;
- Your and your spouse’s education, work history, health, income, and earning capacity;
- Your overall financial situation compared to that of your spouse;
- Your need for support;
- Your spouse’s ability to pay support;
- The ages, mental, emotional and physical conditions of both spouses;
- The relative assets and debts of the spouses, including marital and separate property;
- Tax consequences;
- Your standard of living during the marriage;
- Marital misconduct by either spouse; and
- Any economic factor the judge finds to be just and proper to consider.
Every case for alimony is unique and as you can see the judge will have broad discretion. Providing your lawyer with clear and detailed information about the facts of your marriage and current situation will increase the likelihood of a fair outcome for you.