Divorce Lawyers: Examples of Spousal Support in Louisiana

Like most other states in America, a divorce lawyer in Louisiana is generally somewhat aware of “spousal support” laws, also known as “alimony.”  Spousal support is not always guaranteed, and it depends on a plethora of factors which are different for each marriage.  Let’s look at a few examples a divorce lawyer may encounter to better explain this concept.

Let’s say that Greg and Fran have been married for twenty five years.  They were originally high school sweethearts.  Right after graduating high school they got married.  Right after getting married, Greg joined the air force.  As part of his enlistment, Greg was able to live on the base free of charge.  He also earned a salary as an officer in the air force.  As many of the wives of officers on the base, Fran did not work.  Rather she stayed at home and cared for their two children.  Greg’s career in the air force meant that he and Fran traveled around the world very often; sometimes relocating homes in as quickly as two or three years after the last.  After twenty years in the air force, Greg earned his pension and was not required to work in the armed services any longer.  He used his connections and expertise which he garnered from his experience in the air force to obtain a lucrative job at a military consulting firm.  Approximately five years later he began cheating on Fran, and he then contacted a divorce lawyer.  Fran asked for spousal support.

Now let’s say we have another couple, Frieda and Saul.  They met in their final year of graduate school.  Both of them were getting their grad degrees in literature in New Orleans.  The year after they graduated Frieda and Saul got married.  Together they had one son, Eli.  For the next twenty years both of the spouses held relatively similar teaching positions at another local university.   Neither Frieda nor Saul were really making more money than the other, and both were somewhat independently wealthy even before they decided to get married.  In year twenty-three of their marriage the two had a major falling out for an unknown reason and Frieda hired a divorce lawyer.  Maybe just in jest, both Frieda and Saul asked for spousal support.

Perhaps my reader can see in the above two examples how in one situation an award of spousal support is far more justifiable and appropriate than in the other.  In the case of Fran and Greg, we see that the wife has spent over two decades working only as a mother and a wife.  Her financial security, from the beginning of her adulthood, was dependent on Greg’s employment. 

Conversely, in the example of Frieda and Saul, we see two spouses who are relatively equal from a financial standpoint.  Neither can really be said to have developed a long term dependence on the other for money or material needs.  Both have sufficient training, education, and experience to fend amply for themselves.  From the perspective of a divorce lawyer, an award of spousal support in their case is clearly more unlikely than in the case of Greg and Fran.

This above is informational only, not legal advice. Will Beaumont. New Orleans.