Spanish Fort Divorce Lawyers

No one who gets married plans on a divorce, and yet nearly half of American couples find themselves on the hunt for a skilled divorce lawyer at some point. Relationships break down; it’s an inevitable part of life. When a marriage falls apart, there is a lot at stake—with an experienced Spanish Fort divorce attorney, you can avoid common pitfalls and enjoy a smooth transition to the next chapter of your life.

Ready to learn more about your divorce options in Alabama? Turn to Coumanis & York. Call us at 251-990-3083 to set up a consultation.

What Are You Looking for in Your Divorce?

Every circumstance is unique—we are here to serve you by helping you get what you want out of your divorce, not what we think you should get. That’s why every one of our divorce cases begins with an in-depth consultation. During your consultation, we will ask questions to better understand your relationship with your ex-partner. We will learn about the assets you own separately and together. We’ll ask questions about your family situation and what type of custody needs you may have.

Negotiating What Matters Most

Part of this involves understanding what matters most to you in your Spanish Fort divorce. If you don’t care much about assets but are willing to give up almost everything to get primary custody of your children, for example, we’ll proceed with the knowledge that there is lots of room for compromise during asset division. If you and your ex-partner have no children but you own a business that you built from the ground up, we’ll start negotiations knowing that you want to leave the marriage with primary control of your business.

There is always room for negotiation in divorce. Many people believe that divorce issues are determined in court, but this is not how divorce usually plays out in real life. The key issues facing most divorcing couples are usually hashed out at the negotiating table with both attorneys present. When you and your ex-partner cannot come to an agreement, the issues at hand are no longer in your control. The judge makes the decision regarding custody, division of assets, and other key issues. Whenever negotiation is possible, it is what we recommend.

Important Divorce Issues

Throughout our time together, we will take a look at the key issues in your divorce, where we stand on negotiations, and likely outcomes. Topics that may come up include:

• Division of assets. Alabama recognizes separate assets and marital assets. Marital assets are typically split equitably, which means that the court strives to divide things in a way that is fair—not necessarily in a way that is equal. If, for example, one spouse earns $250,000 per year and the other earns $30,000 per year with no room for career mobility, splitting the assets 50/50 would not be equitable. A number of factors play into how assets are divvied up.

• Division of debt. Debt is an issue in many divorces, but these conflicts can often be solved by simply looking at how assets are divided. If one partner wants to keep the family boat, they will likely have to take the boat loan and have it refinanced in only their name. The same is true with the family home. With unsecured debt, such as credit card debt, payments may be split based on how much each party benefited from the items purchased with the debt and each party’s ability to repay.

• Child custody. In most cases, a fair split of parenting time is recommended. Of course, there are situations where this isn’t appropriate or realistic. One parent is a truck driver and is only available every other weekend, for example. Or one parent is on call five days per week and cannot realistically have young children with them when they are on call. Or maybe one parent isn’t interested in parenting after the breakdown of a marriage. All of these situations, and many more, require a creative approach.
• Alimony and child support. While both of these topics involve financial support, they are different in most other ways. Child support, technically, is not for the parents. It is exclusively for the benefit of a child. It may be awarded even when parents split custody 50/50 if one parent earns substantially more than the other. However, the amount can be negotiated and agreed upon by both parties. Alimony is spousal support, so it is intended to help the lower-earning spouse maintain a higher standard of living. The amount one party receives and how long they receive it depends largely on the length of the marriage and each party’s earning capabilities.

How Coumanis & York Can Help

When you choose our law firm for your Spanish Fort divorce, you can feel confident knowing that we are squarely on your side from start to finish. We know divorce is an emotionally charged event, and that you may be unable to see some issues clearly as a result. Our job is to stay emotionally uninvolved in the case while fighting for that which is most important to you.

We’re flexible in our methods; if your top priority is to preserve a healthy co-parenting relationship, for example, we will keep that in mind while discussing issues with the other side. On the other hand, if you want to avoid giving up assets that you have spent a lifetime earning, we will head into negotiations accordingly. Whatever you want to get from your divorce, we are there to make it happen.

Reach Out to Us Today to Discuss Your Options

Divorce isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be unbearably hard. With Coumanis & York on your side, you can focus on building yourself back up and planning for the future, not heavy legal issues and paperwork. Ready to discuss your options and find out how we can help? Give us a call at 251-990-3083 or get in touch online to set up a consultation.