Irvine Spousal Support Lawyer

Protecting Your Interests and Maximizing Your Results

Serving Clients in Orange County - Riverside County - Los Angeles County

In a divorce, the incomes that used to support one household must now support two. This can be stressful, especially if one spouse has been the primary breadwinner and the other a stay-at-home spouse for a long-term marriage. California courts order spousal support (often called alimony or spousal maintenance) in these circumstances, to make things more equal.

At the Law Offices of Melanie L. Oldham, in Irvine, California, our attorney — Melanie Oldham — represents clients throughout Orange, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties with alimony concerns. She works diligently to help protect your interests and maximize the results you achieve.

Determining Spousal Support in a Divorce

Unlike child support, which is determined by set statutory guidelines, spousal support calculations are dependent upon which stage of the divorce is being examined. During the divorce proceedings, the standard is usually the status quo and the "temporary" support orders must closely approximate the marital standard of living.

Final orders, however, generally require the court to consider the need for support versus the ability to pay, and apply a set of fourteen factors to set the final award. These factors include the length of the marriage, the health of each of the parties, child-rearing duties, and their prospects for earning income in the future.

Spousal support orders are not automatic. You need an aggressive, knowledgeable advocate to make sure the law works in your favor. In both temporary and final support order litigation, Ms. Oldham is prepared to apply the facts of your unique set of circumstances to the letter of the law to maximize support orders for those who need them, and minimize the orders for those who may be charged.

Contact the Law Offices of Melanie L. Oldham

When you are considering a divorce, your friends and family may give you tons of advice about correctly calculating spousal support. While their advice may be helpful, mistakes made could end up costing you a great deal of money. The best results come from talking with an experienced attorney.

Contact us by calling 949-622-5522 for a consultation with a lawyer. Off-site, evening and weekend appointments are available for our clients' convenience. We accept all major credit cards.