Bellevue divorce attorneys handle cases as simple as a divorce with no children or property to multi-million dollar estates with disputed custody issues. In every divorce case the issues of the parenting plan, child support, property division, and spousal maintenance must be resolved. Of course, Bellevue divorce lawyers represent plenty of clients without children, and some clients for whom spousal support is not an issue. While spousal maintenance is theoretically available in every divorce, since the court will only order it under certain circumstances, a Bellevue divorce attorney will only litigate the issue when appropriate.

According to Bellevue divorce lawyers who practice in this area, factors for the court to consider in ordering spousal maintenance include the length of the marriage, the earning capacity of the parties, whether both parties worked during the marriage, the parties’ ability to pay, and the needs of the parties. Additionally, a Bellevue divorce lawyer is not limited to seeking spousal maintenance only for their female clients. Today, since more women are working in more careers with more opportunity for earning, husbands as well as wives have claims for spousal maintenance crafted by a Bellevue divorce attorney.

Keep in mind, one overall principle the court will always consider is equity based on the needs of the parties. Bellevue divorce attorneys are not simply free to demand that one party pay spousal maintenance to their client. Instead, each must be analyzed based on the current law, something Bellevue divorce lawyers must stay abreast of in order to be effective.

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