Spousal Support, also commonly referred to as Alimony, is a type of payment for the support and maintenance of a spouse, either by lump sum or on a continuing basis. spousal support (alimony) is paid by the supporting spouse to the dependent spouse.

As a law firm providing experienced Alimony Attorney (lawyer) legal services, assisting Orlando, Tallahassee, Central Florida and Northwest Florida area residents with spousal support (alimony) legal needs, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.

If you choose to legally seek Alimony (spousal support), make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Orlando - Tallahassee spousal support attorney & lawyer. Contact The Sharpe Law Firm, today by calling (407) 644-2569 (Orlando), (850) 222-0124 (Tallahassee), or (850) 745-0097 (Crawfordville).

Essentially there are five types of spousal support (alimony):

• Temporary spousal support: is typically in cases of short marriage duration where a spouse has a demonstrated need and the other an ability and it is designed to assist the lower income earning spouse pending the resolution of the divorce lawsuit

• Lump sum spousal support: is a one time payment of a set amount.  It is applicable in a marriage which is not too short but not too long in duration

• Rehabilitative spousal support: is typically alimony designed to assist the lower income earning spouse as he or she travels through their rehabilitative plan, the plan being a formulation of strategies and goals to increase one's earning ability

• Permanent spousal support: is in marriages of long duration, typically over 15 years and typically does not end until the payee spouse dies, remarries or is in a supportive relationship by law

• Bridge-the-gap spousal support: is a type of alimony which is of a short duration typically to assist the lower income earning spouse into his or her post divorce earnings.

The Sharpe Law Firm aggressively defends the legal rights of those involved in a spousal support (alimony) dispute or other family law legal issues. We will addresses all related issues that should be taken into consideration when pursuing spousal support legal issues.

The factors that courts consider when granting spousal support may be, but not limited to, the length of the marriage, the conduct of the parties during the marriage, the age, health, station, occupation, amount and sources of income, vocational skills, employability, estate, liabilities and needs of each of the parties and the opportunity of each for future acquisition of capital assets and income.

Courts generally also consider the contribution of each of the parties in the acquisition, preservation or appreciation in value of their respective estates and the contribution of each of the parties as a homemaker to the family unit. Spousal support (alimony) can continue indefinitely, until death or remarriage, or can be set for a fixed period of time.