Have you discovered that your former spouse is unwilling to give you as much spousal support as you think is fair after your divorce? Read on and discover some of the issues that you can discuss with your lawyer in order to argue a case for higher or prolonged spousal support.

Caregiving Obligations

Have you been taking care of your elderly parent for years? Make this information available to the court. Such caregiving obligations often limit how much time you can devote to working and earning an income. It is therefore possible that the court will award you a higher sum as spousal support so that you can live decently despite the caregiving responsibilities that you have.

Your Health and Age

It may also be possible to convince a court of law to award you a higher amount of spousal support in case you suffer from a disease or affliction that is costly to treat or manage. People of advanced age are also less likely to be able to work to support themselves. Spousal support may therefore be the only option for them to meet all their living expenses.

Forfeited Earning Capacity During the Marriage

Discuss how the marriage made you to become unable to work and earn as much as you would have earned if you weren't married. For example, did you have to give up your career in order to be a stay-at-home parent? That lost earning capacity can make a strong case for getting a higher amount in spousal support after the divorce.

Your Training Needs

Spousal support usually has a duration after which it is stopped. That duration can be influenced by the information which you provide about any courses or training that you need to undergo before you can be able to sustain yourself economically. It will be hard for the court to order that the spousal support stops while you are still undergoing that training.

Prenuptial Agreement

Is your former spouse trying to renege upon the spousal support that he or she undertook to give you when you signed a prenuptial agreement? Give a copy of that agreement to your lawyer so that the lawyer can present that evidence as he or she requests for the amount of spousal support that is rightfully due to you.

Don't resign yourself to accepting any amount that your former spouse offers as spousal support if you think that you deserve more. Talk to a family lawyer. That professional will find legal grounds that can form the basis of a successful case for fair spousal support.

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