When a husband and wife separate, one spouse may be left in a sticky financial situation. One spouse may have stayed at home to care for the children, while the other spouse earned a living to support the family. The spouse who stayed at home may now be without a stable source of income, but he or she does not need to be stuck in this bind. A lawyer can help you obtain alimony from your former spouse.

At Keich Law Firm P.A., I will strive to understand your needs and the impact your divorce will have on your life. I can help you receive alimony payments so you do not have to be severely impacted by your drastic lifestyle change.

DeFuniak Springs Spousal Support Attorney
Alimony, also known as “spousal support” or “spousal maintenance,” refers to financial assistance from one spouse to another to alleviate any economic hardship that may occur as a result of the divorce. In Florida, there are six types of alimony that a court can award:

• Temporary
• Permanent
• Rehabilitative
• Lump Sum
• Transitional
• Durational

Each individual situation is unique, and the type of alimony awarded caters to the specific needs of the recipient spouse. The type of alimony is determined by a variety of factors, including:

• Length of Marriage
• Age, physical and emotional condition of each party
• Standard of living during the marriage
• Financial resources of each spouse
• Contribution of each spouse to the marriage
• Length of time the recipient would need support for education or training to become self-sufficient

I provide personalized representation to my clients because I understand that each person comes from a unique situation. Turn to Keich Law Firm P.A. to help you obtain the type of alimony that best fits your needs. I also represent the payer’s spouse if making alimony payments will hurt him or her economically.

Modifying Alimony in Walton and Okaloosa Counties
You and your ex-spouse may have existing alimony, child custody, and child support agreements, but sometimes you may need to modify the agreement due to a change of circumstances. Perhaps you were laid off from a job and no longer have a source of regular income to pay child support. Maybe you were seriously injured in an accident and have a mountain of medical bills. If you find yourself unable to make child support or alimony payments because of a major life event, you have options.

At Keich Law Firm P.A., I provide personalized service for clients. I will assess your situation and provide you with options to modify your child support agreement, whether you want to lower or raise payments.

Change Your Child Custody Agreements and Alimony By Consulting a DeFuniak Springs Attorney

In Florida, a court will modify alimony and child support if there has been a substantial change of circumstances since the divorce was finalized. Some factors to support modification are:

• Income
• Employment  status
• Remarriage
• Retirement

To modify child support payments, Florida courts may also look to the child support guidelines as a basis that meets a substantial change in circumstance in a limited scope:

“The difference between the existing monthly obligation and the amount provided for under the guidelines shall be at least 15 percent or $50, whichever amount is greater, before the court may find that the guidelines provide a substantial change in circumstances.”

Section 61.30 (1)(b)

You need a lawyer who will give you personalized attention. I will be attentive to your reasons for modifying alimony, child custody, or child support. I will discuss with you options so that you do not have to worry about your financial situation.

When parents decide to divorce, a heated battle for child custody may ensue. Not only is time spent with the children at stake, but parents may also have disagreements over how to raise the kids. The right to parent should not have to be hard to obtain. I can help parents sort through child custody issues so that they can agree to an arrangement that works for both of them.

DeFuniak Springs Attorney With Experience Handling Child Visitation and Parenting Time
Typically, parents fight over who gets physical and legal custody. Physical custody refers to who the child will live with. Legal custody refers to who gets to make the decisions on the children’s health care, education, religion, and other concerns.

In Florida, the court must order both parents to share parental responsibility for their children, unless it is detrimental to the kids. Parents may agree upon joint physical and legal custody, where time and decision-making abilities are equal. In some situations, parents will have joint legal custody, but one parent will have sole physical custody while the other parent will receive visitation rights.
Florida courts use the “best interest” of the child as the standard to establish the child custody arrangement. The “best interest” considers several factors, including:

• Mental, physical, and emotional health of the parents
• Stability of the child’s home environment
• Parent’s willingness to encourage and support a relationship between the child and the other parent
• Parents’ ability to respond to the child’s needs
• The child’s wishes, if the court deems the child to be of sufficient age, intelligence, understanding, and experience

Custody and visitation may also be affected if the parents were never married. Paternity must be determined for a father to even have a legal right to custody or visitation. As a lawyer who has experience with Florida family law, I am prepared to guide clients through child custody proceedings no matter what situation they are in.

PATERNITY LAWYER