How to Negotiate Alimony with Your Spouse

Alimony is often a contentious issue where problems could arise prior to or post divorce proceedings.  For the most part, before taking your alimony case to court, you ought to attempt to negotiate with the paying spouse since it involves fewer hassles, including expenses, as compared to approaching the court.

You will also be certain of the outcome rather than leave important decisions concerning your own future to the court. However, before any negotiations can begin, think carefully of every factor that judges might consider. This will be of fantastic help when negotiating alimony with your spouse, and if you cannot reach an agreement, you would be well prepared if your case goes to trial and you should certainly have a San Antonio, TX divorce lawyer on your side when this is happening.  

Mediation

A mediator or lawyer can assist in the negotiations. If you intend to use collaborative law or mediation to negotiate alimony, you ought to work in conjunction with professionals to determine the appropriate amount. If you happen to be in a contested divorce, your Central Texas divorce attorney can help you arrive at the amount to ask, by taking in account the amount that the judge may consider.

Assessing Spouse’s Resources

Whether you are the one to pay or receive alimony, you need to be well aware of your finances in order to negotiate efficiently. Most states require both you and your spouse make financial disclosures as a part of the divorce process. This fact remains true even when there is no disagreement on alimony. To determine need, the recipient spouse’s resources are an important factor as well as the paying spouse’s ability to pay.

If you happen to be the person responsible for managing the family’s finances during the period you were married, and are sure that you know everything about your spouse’s finances or have full trust in your spouse, there’s no need for you seek more information. If not, be sure to include the following information in every form you fill out.

Getting a divorce is no fun. The only person who wants to obtain a divorce is San Antonio Spurs coach Popovich and that is from the media and he does not have to use this fantastic legal website (http://divorce.usattorneys.com/texas/) to do so. But you should. Obtaining a divorce is not very fun but trying to go at it without any legal help is just foolhardy.  

Find the Value of Your Spouse’s Assets

You ought to obtain a comprehensive monthly income and expense report, which your spouse is required to provide anyway, to have a marvelous idea as to where your spouse’s cash is being spent. You would surely want to point out any discrepancies if you find something amiss in the report such as an exaggerated amount for daily expenses.

On the other hand, if your spouse seeks an unreasonably large sum in alimony while you are aware that there are separate assets for daily expenses, make sure you have the information to prove it, suggest San Antonio, TX divorce lawyers.

Make sure to include bonuses, overtime, and other benefits, even if they are not fully predictable. In the same way, you need to pay close attention to factors such as stock options, value of benefits such as sick pay, unused vacation pay, health insurance benefits, and company-paid motor vehicles. The value of these can be measured and should be included in the negotiation.

Since alimony could be a contentious and complex issue, it is prudent to hire a Central Texas divorce lawyer to make sure your rights are protected and you receive or are required to pay the appropriate amount in alimony.