Riverside Spousal Support Attorneys

During a difficult transition when one household and the related expenses become two. Spousal support — also known as maintenance or alimony — over a “reasonable period of time” eases the transition. It also allows supported spouses of any gender to maintain the standard of living they enjoyed while married.

Money matters can turn an uncontested divorce into a highly adversarial process. Riverside spousal support lawyer Catherine A. Schwartz understands that emotions impair sound decision-making. Her job is to spend time with her clients and get them through a highly personal, yet legally complex process.

If your marriage is ending in Riverside, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the Inland Empire, you need a reliable divorce attorney to guide you to an equitable result when it comes to alimony and spousal support. The team of attorneys at the Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey have helped countless clients navigate their divorces successfully to reach fair and reasonable alimony agreements with their former spouses. If you expect any type of difficulty when it comes to determining spousal support after divorce in Riverside, there are several reasons you should choose the team at the Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey as your legal counsel:

  • Founding attorney Catherine A. Schwartz has more than 30 years of experience as an attorney in Riverside. The other members of our firm are experienced family law attorneys with impressive backgrounds in the California legal system.
  • We focus on the client first and foremost in every case we take. Our team will get to know you and the circumstances surrounding your divorce to help you build a strong case and navigate you toward a fair spousal support agreement.
  • Our firm has extensive experience with Riverside divorces, and we know how to achieve fair and reasonable results in alimony and spousal support agreements.

Ultimately, your divorce attorney is the best defense you have against unfair court decisions. We can help you leave your marriage with a reasonable alimony agreement.

The Need For An Experienced And Knowledgeable San Bernardino Alimony Lawyer

Unlike child support, amounts and length of time are at the discretion of the court and based on various factors:

  • Earning capacity based on marketable skills and the related job market
  • Time and expenses required for education or training/retraining
  • Earning capacity impacted by a supported spouse focusing on domestic duties
  • Contributions to the supporting spouse’s education, training, licensing, and overall career
  • Ability to pay support based on the supporting spouse’s earning capacity, income, assets, and standard of living
  • Obligation and assets of both spouses, including separate property
  • Duration of the marriage
  • Ability of the supported spouse who is also the custodial parent in working full time without interfering with children
  • Immediate tax consequences to both spouses
  • Balance of hardships to both spouses

The court has a responsibility to rule in a reasonable and equitable manner in alimony cases, but it’s not uncommon for one spouse to use whatever leverage they have available to maximize their “take” from a divorce. When you have a reliable and experienced attorney on your side, you can rest assured that you will have the evidence and support you need to make a strong case and ensure your alimony agreement with your former spouse is fair and justified.

When you choose to work with the team at the Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey, we will thoroughly investigate all the financial information relevant to your case to ensure the court has complete and accurate financial records for you and your spouse. We can also assist with other legal matters pertaining to your alimony agreement, such as your child custody agreement and shared debts from the marriage.

Collection of Unpaid Alimony

If you have already reached an alimony agreement with a former spouse and now contend with nonpayment issues, we can help with these matters, too. Whenever you reach an alimony agreement with a former spouse following divorce, the court will advise the paying spouse of the date they must begin paying alimony as well as a schedule of required payments. Some alimony payments operate on a weekly schedule while others may be biweekly or monthly. Unfortunately, a former spouse may decide to simply refuse to pay alimony as required. When this happens, the team at the Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey can help.

In the event your divorce involves a child custody agreement, our team can work with the local child support agency to determine the best method for obtaining your unpaid spousal support. If child support is not a factor in your spousal support arrangement, our attorneys will work with you to obtain an earnings assignment, garnishing your former spouse’s wages to ensure you receive the alimony you rightfully deserve.

At the Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey, we treat spousal support cases seriously, particularly when nonpayment becomes an issue. Enforcing obligations can lead to jail time, fines, and loss of driver’s, business and professional licenses.

Contact The Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey For A Free Consultation

Spousal support arrangements, when followed correctly by all parties involved, can help make the divorce process easier for divorced spouses and allow them to get on with their lives following a divorce. No matter how simple or complex your divorce may be, having the right attorney on your side can make a significant difference in your experience with the spousal support determination process. At the Law Offices of Schwartz & Godbey, we will do everything in our power to ensure the most reasonable and fairest possible results from your divorce.

For more information, contact attorney Catherine A. Schwartz at (951) 686-8190 to schedule a free initial consultation. Our office is located in Riverside. For the convenience of our clients, we accept appointments in the evenings and on weekends and accept all major credit cards.

Catherine was the first lawyer I’ve met who actually said and completed what she told me she would do. I’ve never written a review for anything before this but I truly feel it deserves to be heard. This law group stepped up and got the job done. I am extremely thankful for the diligent and caring effort that was put into my case and I never felt I was being taken advantage of or left in the dark about my case. I’ve experience other lawyers that have only had their best interest in mind and took advantage of me. Catherine and her group always were thoughtful and caring about my case as small as it was. I’m forever thankful for their compassion and hard work.