Sevierville Divorce Lawyer
Making the decision to end your marriage is never easy. Perhaps you have known that your marriage is in trouble for some time, or maybe it came as a complete shock that your spouse served you with papers. Not only is getting a divorce very emotional, regardless of how you arrived at the decision, but you also face a long legal process. Fortunately, you do not have to go through it alone. Our Sevierville divorce lawyer can guide you through the legal system so you have the chance of success.
Divorce Terms
You and your spouse will have to resolve many different terms of your case before your divorce is finalized. These are as follows:
- Division of property: Marital property includes any assets and liabilities acquired during the marriage, and they are all subject to division. Tennessee follows equitable distribution law when dividing property during divorce. This means that the division is fair, but not necessarily equal. Identifying marital property and valuing it is a complex matter, so it is important to speak to an attorney.
- Child custody: Even with a relatively equal amount of parenting time, one parent is likely to be awarded primary residential status, meaning they will spend the greater share of the time with the child. The factors considered in child custody decisions only reflect the best interests of the child, and not the parents.
- Child support: Due to the fact that the parent with primary residential status will also pay more of the child’s expenses, the other parent will pay them child support. Child support is terminated when the child turns 18 years old or graduates from high school.
- Alimony: Also known as spousal support, the purpose of alimony is to make sure one party is not left at a financial disadvantage after a divorce. Alimony is more likely to be awarded if one spouse supported the other’s educational opportunities, stayed home to raise the children, or earned a substantially lower income.
Post-Divorce Issues
There are many orders issued during divorce and they are all final and legally binding. The court takes any violations of these orders very seriously and levy harsh penalties against anyone who does not comply with them. Violating an order can even result in being held in contempt of court.
However, the law also does recognize that at some point, your circumstances may change. If you can prove a substantial change of circumstances, such as a job loss that prevents you from paying child support, you can petition the court to modify the order. Proving these cases is not easy, unfortunately. A lawyer can collect the evidence necessary to prove your case and obtain a modification.
Our Divorce Lawyer in Sevierville Can Help with Your Case
Navigating the end of your marriage is not easy. At Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette, our Sevierville divorce lawyer can handle all the legal details of your case to make this difficult time easier on you. Call us now at 865-225-6784 or fill out our online form to schedule a consultation.
