Maintenance
If you are getting a divorce or are legally separating from your spouse, the judge in your case might award family law spousal support to one of you. In Illinois, this spousal support is technically called “maintenance,” although it is commonly referred to as “alimony.”
Simply put, maintenance is an amount of money one spouse pays to the other on a recurring basis to help support a spouse who is at a financial disadvantage because of the divorce or separation. MLG Law Group represents Chicago-area clients needing a reputable Maintenance lawyer to protect their interests.
Understanding What to Expect in a Maintenance Case
Maintenance awards in Illinois are based on the presumption that a financially disadvantaged spouse needs some additional support from his or her higher-earning spouse every month after a divorce. Statutory maintenance in Illinois is based on a formula that considers each spouse’s gross income and the length of the marriage.
Couples can accept the statutory maintenance awards, but they can also choose to negotiate their own maintenance agreements. When considering whether maintenance is appropriate, courts evaluate each spouse:
- Financial needs
- Income
- Property
- Earning capacity (present and future)
- Standard of living
- Length of the marriage
- Age
- Physical and mental health
- Contribution to the other spouse’s success
It’s also important to understand that maintenance can either be temporary (rehabilitative) or permanent. Marriages of shorter durations are more likely to end with a temporary maintenance award, while a judge may determine that permanent maintenance is more appropriate when a decades-long marriage ends in divorce.
How a Skilled Maintenance Attorney Can Help Protect Your Rights
Divorce or legal separation can cause financial difficulties for both spouses. Rather than pooling resources to pay for ongoing monthly expenses, spouses going their separate ways are frequently faced with the prospect of maintaining their own households.
For a lesser-earning spouse, this prospect can be daunting, emotionally and financially. A maintenance award can help ease the transition from living as a couple to living as a single adult. A seasoned spousal support lawyer can prove that a maintenance award is necessary and appropriate, helping his or her clients get back on their feet.
Sometimes, a lesser-earning spouse seeks maintenance when it is not necessary, or may seek a higher award than he or she needs to maintain current standards of living. In such cases, it’s important to have a Maintenance attorney in your corner to help ensure that any maintenance award ultimately reflects your former spouse’s needs and your ability to meet those needs without detrimentally impacting your standard of living.
Why Choose MLG Law Group for Help With Maintenance?
With more than 30 years of combined experience, MLG Law Group’s legal professionals understand family law Maintenance in Illinois and are prepared to fight for clients’ rights. When hiring MLG Law Group, your family law attorney will work to compile evidence to support your claim for Maintenance or defend against an unreasonable Maintenance request from your spouse.
To learn more and to schedule a consultation with a knowledgeable spousal support attorney, contact us today.