Some areas of the law are relatively static and often rigidly applied. Other legal subject matter is more fluid and complex, with ample doses of judicial discretion mixing in with statutory dictates and case law holdings.
Alimony is a case in point, which we note at the established Bloomfield Hills family law firm of Hauer & Snover. We underscore on our website that Michigan alimony is determined “on a case-by-base basis” and that relevant law “does not give clear-cut guidelines or a calculator for spousal support.”
That translates to this: a heightened degree of court involvement in any given case.
It is that open-ended nature of alimony that can make the studied and timely input of proven legal counsel critically important to a family law client.
What factors influence a Michigan alimony order?
Although a Michigan judge commands considerable leeway in fashioning spousal support, he or she does have a generalized playbook on hand for reference. Courts typically weigh and potentially apply factors like these:
- Marriage length
- Age and health of the spouses
- Marital conduct of the parties
- Income/wealth disparities between the partners
- Accustomed standard of living
- Post-divorce ability to be self-sufficient
Considerable complexity – as well as issues linked to equity – can obviously attach to all those collective variables. A proven divorce legal team with a deep well of experience in alimony concerns can ensure that pro-client facts and arguments are persuasively presented to a court fashioning a spousal support outcome.
We welcome contacts to our firm from readers seeking further information.
