Spousal Support/Property Division

Los Angeles County and Orange County

Spousal Support Attorney • Property Division Lawyer

Legal Solutions for Southern California
Aggressive Representation

To complete a legal separation or marital dissolution, divorcing couples must resolve questions regarding property, child support, custody, and visitation, spousal support, and other rights and obligations.

To ensure that you meet all legal requirements concerning temporary or permanent spousal maintenance (“alimony”), property division, and mandatory mediation, contact experienced family law attorney Laurence B. Donoghue now. Attorney Donoghue has over 30 years of experience which allow him to guide you efficiently and intelligently through the process of negotiating family law matters. Members of our staff speak Spanish, Tagalog, French, and English.

Maintenance, Alimony, and Spousal Support - A Court may consider a financial guideline or schedule for temporary spousal support but not for permanent spousal support. The Courts are required to take a list of factors into consideration, including the parties’ respective incomes, earning capacities, and expenses, and their standard of living during the marriage.

Retirement Benefits - Pensions, retirement benefits, 401k’s, IRA’s, and stock option plans, are all potentially characterized as earnings during the marriage and owned by both spouses. Careful evaluation is necessary for division of property.

Marital Property – In California, generally all property earned or acquired during the marriage belongs to each of the spouses equally. Typically, all other property is regarded as separate property, belonging separately to each of the parties. Division of property involves many complications and should be handled with an attorney.

Prenuptial, Postnuptial, and Marital Settlement Agreements - Prenuptial agreements are between prospective spouses and effective upon marriage. Postnuptial or marital agreements are created during the marriage to affect rights and obligations both during the marriage and after dissolution. Marital settlement agreements are created to resolve marital property and other rights and obligations in a divorce or legal separation. There are many complicated issues concerning the legality and enforceability of these agreements, and consultation with an attorney is advised.

Immigration Issues

When one or both spouses are not U.S. citizens, attorney Donoghue’s proficiency in immigration law can be very helpful with immigration issues related to that couple’s divorce or separation.

To schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss division of property or spousal support, contact Los Angeles spousal support attorney Donoghue by phone or through this Web site.