Alimony

Protecting Your Financial Rights | Alimony Cases in Atlanta

Alimony, also known as spousal support, is often a highly contentious issue during and after a divorce. In many cases, one party will think they are entitled to massive amounts of alimony, and the other thinks there should be none. In many cases, the truth is going to be somewhere in between. We can review your specific situation and help determine whether or not alimony is likely to be involved.

Types of Alimony

In Georgia, there are four different ‘types’ of alimony that could be assigned in a given case. They are:

  • Permanent Periodic Alimony – This is the least common, and involves one party paying the other a set amount of money in perpetuity. This type of alimony will typically end should the receiving party get remarried. This option is usually only considered when long lasting marriages come to an end.
  • Rehabilitative Alimony – If one of the spouses needs to accomplish set steps in order to improve their financial condition, rehabilitative alimony may be awarded. The most common example of this is when a nurse lets his or her license expire during the marriage, and they need to complete specific steps to reinstate it. The alimony will be in place for a set period of time, which will be sufficient to help the spouse regain their nursing license so they can begin earning money on their own.
  • Transitional Alimony – This option is the most common and is given to help the receiving party transition from married life back to single life. It is often a lump sum, but may be spread out over a short period of time. The money is intended to be used for things like moving expenses, first month’s rent on an apartment, and other similar expenses.
  • Lump Sum Alimony – Technically this is not actually alimony but just part of the normal division of assets in a marriage. One party will often receive a lump sum of money as part of this process, and it is often thought of as alimony, even if legally it isn’t.
Initial Alimony or Alimony Adjustments

We represent clients both during the divorce when alimony is set up, and down the road should a change need to be made to the alimony order. Whatever it is you need, we are here to help, so please contact us to set up a consultation to discuss all your legal options.