Alimony and spousal support is a key component of many Morris County divorce settlement agreements. A traditionally dependent spouse will want to ensure that they are able to maintain a lifestyle similar to what they enjoyed during their marriage, and in many cases secure financial support which will allow them to receive job training, re-enter the workplace, and become financially independent. On the other hand, the supporting spouse will often try to limit what they are obligated to pay in their alimony settlement, as they are concerned about their own financial needs and living expenses. Due to the fact that there are no strict guidelines for determining alimony settlements, as there are in child support for example, finalizing an alimony agreement during a divorce or legal relationship dissolution can often take some time, and this is when temporary alimony, or “pendente lite support” can come into play.
Temporary alimony can be awarded and secured by the dependent party during the divorce process itself in order to help them meet their financial obligations before a final alimony agreement is reached.
If you are in need of securing temporary financial support during your divorce process, or are facing a petition for temporary alimony, the attorneys of Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark are ready to help you secure the temporary spousal support settlement that meets your unique needs in concerns. Our firm has extensive experience helping clients across Chatham, Chester, Mendham, Harding, Morristown, and the greater Morris County area to settle divorce matters of all kinds, and we are ready to put our legal knowledge and effective and attentive legal service to work for you today.
Contact our firm to discuss your divorce, alimony settlement, or temporary alimony agreement today in a free and confidential consultation.
Pendente Lite Agreements During Morris County Divorce
There are two possible ways for a temporary alimony agreement to be reached during the divorce settlement process. The first way is for the divorcing spouses to come to their own agreement regarding which expenses each party will be responsible for during their divorce, and if any additional support is necessary. This agreement can be verbal, or put into writing and submitted to the courts as a binding and legal pendente lite agreement (known as a consent order).
If however, a spouse does not follow the terms of their verbal temporary alimony agreement or refuses to offer financial support during the divorce process, a motion can be filed with the courts requesting temporary financial support. This motion will need to include legal documents known as a “Certification” and a “Case Information Statement”. A certification will outline the lifestyle a dependent spouse believes they should be accorded via financial support, and the case information statement will provide complete financial information regarding each spouse’s financial status, including income, assets, a history of expenses, and more.
As these documents need to be accurate, informative, and complete, it is highly recommended that you speak with our experienced Chester temporary alimony attorneys when filing a motion for temporary support, as we are intimately familiar with this process, and can help you to gather, and present, all of the necessary information to the courts in the manner they require. Conversely, if you are facing a motion for temporary support, our attorneys can help ensure that your personal expenses and expected lifestyle are also accurately represented during this process and that any temporary alimony agreement you reach does not leave you “out of house and home”.
Calculating a Temporary Alimony Agreement
If the courts find it necessary for temporary alimony to be awarded during the divorce proceedings, they will calculate this financial obligation in much the same way that they do when determining a final alimony agreement.
Again, there is formula for determining exact alimony payments, either for final alimony settlements or for temporary support. Rather, there are a number of different factors that the court will take into consideration, but how much weight they give to each factor changes on a case-by-case basis, and often depends a great deal on the willingness of each party to compromise, and how well their attorneys can sway the judge’s opinion on the various factors being taken into consideration.
For more complete information regarding the exact factors the courts will consider when determining alimony and temporary alimony obligations, please view our spousal support and alimony page.
Contact Our Morris County Temporary Alimony Attorneys Today
At The Law Office of Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark, our attorneys have extensive experience helping clients across Chester, Chatham, Mendham, Harding, Morristown, Morris County, and throughout New Jersey with their divorce settlement agreements, including alimony settlements and temporary alimony agreements.
By practicing exclusively divorce and family law, our firm is able to provide each of our clients with the knowledgeable, effective, and attentive legal service that they deserve when it comes to such important issues that have the potential to greatly affect their long-term financial stability, and legal rights and obligations.
To speak with one of our attorneys today in a free and confidential consultation regarding your divorce, your alimony agreement, or a temporary support agreement, please contact us online, or through our Morris County, NJ office at (973) 840-8970.
