SPOUSAL MAINTENANCE IN
WASHINGTON
Maintenance, also known as
alimony or spousal support, is designed to
provide a means for each party in a divorce to
maintain a similar economic lifestyle to that
achieved within the marriage. In
determining the amount of maintenance to be
awarded, the Court may examine the need of the
party requesting alimony as well as the ability
of the giving party.
Maintenance can be
considered rehabilitative, giving a disadvantaged
spouse income while he or she gets back into the
workforce; or compensatory, when a person has
supported a spouse through professional school in
the mutual expectation of future financial
benefit to the community, but the marriage ends
before that benefit can be realized. In
this case, the supporting spouse may be
compensated through a division of property and
liabilities. When the assets of the parties
are insufficient to permit compensation to be
effected entirely through property division, a
supplemental award of maintenance is appropriate.
The two primary issues in
a case involving maintenance, is how much, and
for how long. Feel free to contact an
attorney at MOGREN, GLESSNER & ROTI, P.S.
(425-255-4542) to discuss these issues with you.
Our
firm consist of three lawyers, Peter W. Mogren,
Ronald E. Glessner, and Ruth A. Roti. Our
emphasis is in family law, wills and probate, and
personal injury. Please click on the topics
above for details about these areas of practice,
including divorce, legal separation, property
division, child support, spousal maintenance,
parenting plans, modifications, paternity,
adoption, wills, Community Property Agreements,
Durable Power of Attorney, and probate.
Our
firm is conveniently located in Renton, King
County, Washington, just off the freeway at the
intersection of I-405 and I-167. Our
attorneys represent clients throughout the State
of Washington, including the communities of
Renton, Kent, Tukwila, Seattle, Bellevue, Auburn,
Maple Valley, Federal Way, Des Moines, Burien,
SeaTac, Enumclaw and most of south King County.
The free information contained in
these pages is not
intended to be legal advice, and does not
create an attorney-client relationship. You
should always consult with an attorney before
taking any action. Feel free to call us at
425-255-4542.
