Understanding legal nuances and tricks is sometimes very challenging for people. It is felt especially sharply when a person finds oneself in a situation where they strongly need financial support. Divorce is one of the most common cases in which people need alimony.
Luckily, the laws are very precise and provide an explicit list of cases when people can claim for alimony. Since the grounds to get alimony Oklahoma are different, the list of documents also varies in each case. This brief review will cover the most essential terms and grounds to help you get a clear understanding of the matter and maximize future payments.
What Is Alimony in Oklahoma?
Alimony, also commonly known as marital or spousal support, becomes a must-have element of the vast majority of divorce cases. It is considered only in rare cases where spouses reach a mutual agreement or fully rely on their own financial resources.
These payments are always subject to discussion, sometimes pretty sharp. Aside from the emotional factor, there are quite specific rational grounds for calculating the amount of alimony.
How is the Amount of Alimony Determined?
A judge determines the amount of alimony based on the specific background of the case and the financial capabilities of the spouse who will pay alimony. If you need to figure out the approximate amount of alimony, ask professional lawyers to help you.
Professionals can provide preliminary guidance in this regard. There are several factors impacting the amount of alimony:
- Length of marriage. The duration of marriage has a direct impact on the calculation of the amount of alimony. This information helps to assess the financial states of both spouses correctly.
- Financial resources are available. Before deciding on the specific amount of alimony, the court carefully examines both spouses’ financial states to determine their abilities to meet their own personal needs independently.
- Earning capacity. The amount of alimony is always calculated for a specified period. Thus, a judge needs to ensure that a spouse assigned to pay this alimony will fulfill one’s duties entirely. To make this assessment, the court considers such factors as education, skills, work experience, and employment.
- Standards of living of spouses. The lifestyle also matters. Of course, in rare cases, it may also cover some luxury items. However, in most cases, the court also considers the minimal standards of living that the former couple had before the divorce to facilitate the spouse who seeks financial support to maintain a more or less similar lifestyle after a divorce.
- Contributions to the marriage. This is one of the most important aspects that is often overlooked or is not considered properly. During the divorce and alimony considerations, the judge always assesses the roles and contributions to the family. These contributions are never limited to money. Upbringing children or maintaining a household are treated equally to having a regular job and covering the family’s financial needs.
- Personal needs. The judge always assesses the physical, financial, and emotional needs of each spouse after a divorce. These factors always help to determine the most appropriate support arrangement.
- Marital misconduct. This is not the last nuance taken into consideration but probably one of the most important ones. It may be in different forms – abuse and adultery are the most common cases. The situations may vary, yet it is never advisable to remain silent about the things you suffer from. If you have suffered from any type of marital misconduct from your spouse, let your judge and your lawyer know in advance about that.
How Do Divorce Lawyers Help to Settle the Cases?
If you feel yourself emotionally overwhelmed or simply want to close this chapter in your life and move on, a professional divorce lawyer can do lots of things for you in this case:
- Helps to find the best solution in your favor, remaining unbiased. The divorce is always an emotional process. The former spouses are often overwhelmed emotionally and can’t reach a mutual agreement. Professional lawyers are impartial in this case and can act as intermediaries between the former spouses, helping them settle the final joint questions that may be in place.
- Assess the case precisely and address its specifics. Each divorce case is individual and has specific grounds and features. Assessing each aspect correctly matters for alimony calculation. The issues that may appear to you irrelevant can actually be very valuable.
- Prepare the documents needed correctly. This is a separate challenge for many people. Filing court papers is a challenging assignment that requires detailed review and great attention to detail. Aside from these features, it is also strongly necessary to correctly address some nuances of filing court papers, omitting which may result in delays or even rejections.
- Represent interests in a court. This is probably one of the most challenging, if not the most challenging, tasks in a divorce checklist. This is the actual period when a judge assesses the submitted papers and grounds for alimony, determining its amount in the end.
The court proceedings may be quite tough sometimes since the other party rarely agrees to pay the requested amount. The professional help of lawyers experienced in representation before a court will be very useful in this case.
- Ensure any further legal support needed. In rare cases, it may be required to reconsider the case. To ensure this, you have to justify your demands and reasons for doing so. This is a specific case where the help of qualified and experienced attorneys is more than needed.
Know Your Rights and Get the Maximum Amount of Alimony Possible!
If you have found yourself in a complicated situation and need financial support after divorce, never leave this question or struggle with solving it alone. Assign a professional divorce lawyer who will help you to address all of the legal nuances of your situation and get the maximum amount of alimonies possible in your case. Secure your rights and interests. Stay on the safe financial side further!