Rancho Cucamonga Spousal Support Lawyer

One of the things that makes Rancho Cucamonga spousal support law different is the focus on alternatives available to the supported spouse. This approach, called marital standard of living and also referred to as MSOL, is somewhat unique to California, although it is sometimes mistakenly attributed to other states.

In practice that means awards are occasionally higher than they would be under other states’ laws and also sometimes lower. California spousal support can be indefinite, modified after divorce, but is only modifiable after divorce if there is a substantial change of circumstance since the time the order was initially entered by a Rancho Cucamonga spousal support lawyer.

What’s Yours Also Belongs to Your Spouse Under California Law

What does alimony mean? The purpose of spousal support or alimony is to provide financial assistance to a spouse so they have an opportunity to get back on their feet after divorce. This may sound simple, but there are a lot of different factors that affect the awarding or denial of support in California, including health, age, length of marriage, and work history.

California is what is known as a community property state. This means either a marriage or domestic partnership registration makes two people one single legal community. As such, property or any debt acquired by one partner during the partnership belongs not only to the individual that acquired it, but instead belongs to both individuals, defined as the community.

The positive side of this arrangement is spouses who have sacrificed a career to take care of the home or kids are entitled to financial help in return. However, if you’re the one who’s supposed to pay this spousal support, this argument can be much less appealing. It might even sound like sneaky divorce tactics, but it’s not. 

If you ask your lawyers in Rancho Cucamonga why you should be required to pay more than your fair share, their answer may simply be, it’s California law. The way the state sees it, in most marriages, both partners do make equal sacrifices, albeit perhaps in different ways. 

Setting Up a Fair Arrangement

In an ideal situation, both partners would work half the time and take half the household responsibilities. That’s a nice theory, but of course in real life, it seldom happens.

More often, one partner works full time while the other takes on child care or stays home full time. Sometimes both work part-time and one takes on more responsibility at home. There are countless different scenarios that are made even more complicated by California community property laws. 

That’s why many people going through this process strongly believe working with a Rancho Cucamonga spousal support lawyer is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. The Law Office of Laurence J. Brock is experienced with all facets of spousal support. Provide details on our online form or call 909-466-7661 to talk about your best strategy.