Portland Spousal Support Maintenance Alimony Lawyer

Spousal Solutions for Clients in Oregon and Washington

When a marriage ends, the income that formerly supported one household must now be divided to support two. This can be difficult for spouses, especially if they were married for a long time and had become accustomed to a certain way of life. A fair spousal support arrangement can help make the transition easier.

At the Portland, Oregon, law offices of David W. Owens, P.C. & Associates, Attorneys at Law, we represent either husbands or wives in spousal support (often called spousal maintenance or alimony) matters during and after a divorce.

Since 1975, our founding attorney David Owens has dedicated his practice to the pursuit of excellence in the practice of law. He works with our attorneys and well-qualified experts to help clients find the best solutions possible for spousal maintenance issues.

About Oregon Spousal Support

Oregon recognizes three different types of spousal support and each has a different purpose. Your attorney can help you understand which type will most likely apply to your situation.

• Transitional support: This type of support helps a spouse complete his or her education and return to the workforce.
• Compensatory support: This type of support reimburses a spouse for a major contribution he or she made to the education, career or earning ability of the other spouse.
• Permanent support (spousal maintenance): This type of support can be awarded for a set duration or permanently, and is designed to support a spouse's standard of living at a level similar to what he or she had during the marriage. It is usually only awarded when a marriage ends after many years.

How does the Court Calculate Spousal Support?

A spouse's obligation to support the other spouse may continue even after the divorce. If one spouse has very little income and the other has the ability to contribute to the low income spouse's support, the court will usually award spousal support.

Spousal support is available to either a husband or wife. The court will look to see who has the more substantial income. One of the major factors a court will consider is does the primary wage earner in the family have sufficient income to support the other spouse. The court is looking to maintain the level to which the spouses were accustomed to during the marriage.

Courts will consider the length of the marriage, whether the spouse put his or her own education or career on hold to raise the parties' children, did the spouse achieve a higher level of income based on the other spouses sacrifice, health issues and a number of other factors in determining the length and amount of spousal support.

Contact David W. Owens, P.C. & Associates, Attorneys at Law

To schedule a confidential consultation about spousal maintenance with a lawyer at our Portland law firm, please call us at 503.766.3042 or contact us by e-mail.