As far as a woman is concerned, alimony is one of the biggest compensations she can receive from a divorce. After all, considering that you have sacrificed years of your professional life to take care of the family, you do deserve a nice alimony to secure your future. And in this post, we will look at seven tips that women can use to their benefit while negotiating alimony during a divorce.
- Have Strong Evidence
Before you move for divorce and alimony, ensure that you do have a strong case that you will win. If your husband has been cruel to you, there must be evidence that backs the claim. For example, your husband may have assaulted you in front of your friend. This person can act as the eyewitness for your claim of domestic abuse. When you are able to prove physical harm, you will easily be able to sway the courts to your favor and get approved for alimony.
- Marriage Term
The courts give high importance to the length of the marriage. If you have only been married for like 6 months, then you are not likely to get any alimony from the husband. At best, you might be awarded a small settlement. That’s it. But if you have been married to your husband for a long period of time, say six or seven years, then you are very likely to be awarded a monthly alimony.
- Don’t Be Stubborn With Demands
Some women tend to get too emotionally invested in the divorce that they remain stubborn to their demands. This is not at all recommended. Do not demand a monthly alimony too high that it leaves nothing for the spouse to live on. If you remain adamant to such ridiculous demands, you will only create a negative impression in front of the court and jury. The best thing you can do is to leave such matters in the hands of your lawyers. Just remember to hire a good lawyer like Hogle Family Law to fight your alimony case.
- Have A Strong Reason For The Alimony Amount
Make sure that you are able to justify the alimony you are asking. If you can use logic to convince the court and spouse that you really do need the amount you are asking for, you can easily win the alimony case. For example, don’t just ask that you be paid $2000 every month. Instead, make a list of expenses you will incur every month, factor in the inflation etc. and present a detailed breakup of why you need $2000 each month.
- Let The Spouse Win In Some Areas
Give your spouse some breathing room and let him win in some areas. This will increase your chances of making the spouse agree to your alimony demands. For example, you might ask an alimony of $3000 per month instead of the spouse’s offer of $2500. He will certainly object to it. But tell him that you are willing to cut back your asset claim from $50,000 to $35,000. This should make him reassess the situation, making it more possible for both of you to agree to an alimony amount without ever going to trial.
- Keep Your Emotions In Check
During a divorce, sparks can fly from both sides. It is normal for people to get incredibly angry and emotional at the proceedings. You must ensure that you keep your cool during such situations. Never lose control and embarrass yourself. Worse, you might even spill out some facts that can work against you and harm your chances of getting the alimony you desire. Be wary of the opposing lawyer’s attempts to emotionally ignite you. Just trust the lawyer and let them handle the finer details of the alimony. Only speak when your lawyer asks you to. This should help you avoid putting yourself into emotionally charged situations.
- Continue Communication With The Spouse
Finally, try not to cut down all communication with your spouse. Remain in contact with them. Be very direct with your demands, but do not do so in a very authoritative or condescending manner since that would make the guy hate you and they will try their best to avoid giving you the alimony. But if you talk with them calmly, show why you need alimony, and don’t play any games with them, it is very likely that they will start to see your point. And if your spouse also determines that fighting in the court will be a waste of time since he will inevitably be required to pay you the alimony, he might decide to come to an agreement rather than go for a trial.
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