Alimony and Child Support
The financial considerations involved with a divorce are often contentious and complicated. The division of lives and households can be emotionally difficult, and getting knowledgeable and reliable counsel from an experienced lawyer regarding child support and alimony is crucial for understanding and protecting your rights.
At the Maryland law office of Anderson & Axilbund, LLC, we have over 25 years of experience protecting our clients' rights in child support and alimony proceedings. We will explain the process for determining support and help you understand what to expect.
Child support is designed to make sure that children have the necessary financial resources to which they are entitled from their parents. Maryland has State-specific guidelines that determine child support if the parents combined monthly income is $10,000 or less. Many factors are taken into account, including:
• All income of both parties
• Daycare expenses
• Healthcare expenses
Rather than complying with a strict formula, the court has much more discretion to determine child support if the combined monthly income of both parents exceeds $10,000. Your child's needs and current lifestyle, in addition to each parent's income, are the primary factors that drive the child support amount in this situation.
We have extensive experience helping my clients analyze complex financial situations. Income from self-employment, underemployment, commissions, seasonal work and other hidden forms of income must be considered in determining child support. Our goal is to paint an accurate financial picture for the court, so that the child support amount is fair. We will present your position in the best light possible to help you achieve your legal goals.
Maryland has three types of spousal support:
• alimony pendente lite is awarded pending final resolution of the divorce
• rehabilitative alimony is awarded at the time of the divorce to enable one spouse to become self-supporting
• permanent alimony is awarded at the time of the divorce if there is a significant income or lifestyle disparity that would be unfair if not granted
We will listen to your concerns, assess your particular situation and help you understand what you can realistically expect. In awarding alimony, the court examines and weighs many factors including:
• The relative incomes of each spouse
• The length of the marriage
• Each party's conduct leading to the divorce
• Each party's contributions to the marriage
• Job prospects of the spouse seeking support
• Ability of the spouse seeking support to become self-supporting
• Earning capacity of each spouse
We will protect your best interests, whether you are seeking support or will be ordered to provide support. In complex alimony cases, we will call upon vocational and financial expert witnesses to support your position in court when needed.
In addition to the initial child support or alimony determination, we have extensive experience helping our clients seek enforcement of child support and alimony orders. Where a party has experienced a significant change in financial circumstances, we will provide knowledgeable assistance in either seeking or defending against modification of the original order.
