Springfield Divorce & Family Law Blog

While divorce can be a complicated process for many people, it can be exponentially more difficult and time consuming if you and your spouse have been married for a long time. Often, the longer your marriage lasts, the more there is to untangle in terms of finances, shared assets and belongings that may hold sentimental value to both of you. At Stange Law Firm, PC, we have helped many divorcing couples in Missouri to work through the legal process of divorce as quickly as possible. 

If you and your spouse have been married for a significant length of time, you will undoubtedly face a much different and more extensive list of issues to work through than a couple that has only been married for five years or less. According to U.S. News, if your marriage has been long, some of the factors that will require time, resources and negotiation to work through include the following:

• Alimony
• Child custody
• Dating
• Retirement accounts
• Shared assets
• Shared real estate

For Springfield-area couples who are struggling with their marriage but not ready to throw in the towel, a legal separation may be the right decision. Along with giving each spouse time and space to think about all the ramifications of divorce, a separation has financial benefits too.

A legal separation is different than what some may consider a "trial" separation, which may be just having one partner move to a different home for a few months, according to Forbes. A legal separation is a binding agreement that covers spousal and child support, visitation and division of debt and assets. Not having an agreement in place means you are still liable for any legal issues or debts that your partner has.

Given the emotions that can go into divorce proceedings in Springfield, it may be easy for many to see how and why they can become so contentious. Particular matters (such as child custody) can become particularly nasty due to what is at stake. Yet even with the potential for discord that exist amongst a divorcing couple, the parties involved may be advised to put aside their differences and come to an amicable agreement for the best interests of the children at the center of such disputes. 

The judge presiding over the divorce case of Donald Trump Jr. and his estranged wife praised the couple in recent proceedings for being able to accomplish such a task. The couple filed for divorce earlier this year after almost 13 years of marriage. News recently surfaced that they were able to come up with their own agreement regarding the custody of their five children. Their join efforts allowed the couple to complete their initial custody hearing to be completed in just 10 minutes. The pair also appeared to be amiable towards each other during proceedings. The judge commended them for their behavior and even offered assistance in helping them to resolve any future matters. Such cooperation is also expected as the two sort through their financial affairs. 

When a couple chooses to divorce in Springfield, one (or both) sides might automatically assume that they are entitled to alimony. This is likely due to the notion that many view the rewarding of alimony or spousal support payments as some sort of punitive action. In reality, that is not the case at all. Spousal support is rather a means to help one spouse who might be economically disadvantaged compared to the other support him or herself until such point as he or she is able to secure gainful employment and regain a similar financial standing to the one enjoyed while he or she was still married. 

The decision to reward alimony, however, is not automatic. Rather, according to Section 452.335 of Missouri's Revised Statutes, the court considers a number of different factors when determining whether it is even warranted. Some of these include: 

• The duration of a marriage (as well as the standard of living a couple enjoyed during that time)
• The financial resources and earning capacity of each party involved
• The obligations and debts each party assumes as part of a divorce agreement
• The age and physical capabilities of each party
• The amount of time needed for the party requesting maintenance to be trained or educated to the point of being able to secure employment