Panama City Alimony Lawyer 

Retain A Skilled Panama City Divorce Attorney

When you decided to file for divorce, you probably became concerned about your financial ability to support yourself. This is especially true if you made career sacrifices in order to stay at home and take care of your family. With the help of a skilled Panama City divorce lawyer - such as those found at The Virga Law Firm, P.A. - you may be able to obtain the alimony you need.

When deciding on alimony matters, the court will take into consideration a variety of factors, including the marital standard of living, the financial state of the spouse seeking alimony, each spouse's earning capacity, and the duration of the marriage.

Types of Alimony Available

In Florida, the different types of alimony include:

• Bridge-the-gap alimony: Short-term support to cover needs after the divorce is finalized.
• Rehabilitative alimony: Assistance to obtain training or education for employment purposes.
• Durational alimony: For when other types of alimony cannot meet your needs. Most divorces in Florida that use alimony will likely use durational alimony due to its flexibility.

Whether you are seeking to obtain alimony or have been ordered to pay alimony, our team can work to do everything in our power to help you reach the goal you have in mind. As one of Northwest Florida's largest family law firms with more than 100 years of combined experience, we have handled hundreds of divorce and family law cases, including those involving alimony challenges. With an experienced team of attorneys that includes a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers, we are not afraid to go to court if it will benefit our clients.

Florida Alimony Updates in 2023

In 2023, the Florida legislature enacted several important legal updates regarding alimony and divorce. If your divorce was pending on or after July 1, 2023, or if you have not filed for divorce yet, the updates that were put into effect apply to your case.

The important alimony updates enacted in 2023 that affect cases in Florida are:

• Lifetime or permanent alimony has been eliminated and is no longer available for new cases.
• If the recipient spouse has entered a new supportive relationship, the court must either reduce or end any applicable alimony agreements. The paying spouse has the burden of proof to show such a supportive relationship exists, and the recipient spouse has the burden of proof to show why alimony should not be reduced or eliminated.
• Rehabilitative alimony is not able to last more than 5 years.
• Durational alimony cannot apply to a marriage that lasted less than 3 years. The amount of alimony in a durational alimony agreement is limited to 35% of the difference between the net incomes or the “reasonable need” of the recipient spouse, whichever is less. Also, the court can consider how child support payments affect those net incomes when calculating a fair alimony amount.
• A short-term marriage is one that lasts less than 10 years, a moderate-term marriage is one that lasts between 10 and 20 years, and a long-term marriage is one that lasts 20 years or more.
• If a paying spouse must purchase life insurance to secure the alimony award, the court requires “specific written findings” as proof.

Allow Our Firm To Help You Take The First Step

After carefully reviewing the details of your case during an initial evaluation, we can recommend the strongest course of action available to you. We can explain which kind of alimony you may be eligible to receive and begin creating a customized strategy tailored to meet your needs. When we say that our clients are our top priority, we truly mean it. In fact, we make ourselves available to clients 24/7!

Recommended Reading:

• How Alimony Works in Florida
• Reasons to Get a Prenuptial Agreement Now
• What You Need To Know About Florida Alimony Law

For more information about how we can help you with your alimony needs, please do not hesitate to contact us as soon as possible.