My sister gave up everything for her husband of over 20 years. She dropped out of college and once kids were born, never worked, because he wanted her to be a stay at home mom. They decided last weekend to get divorced and my sister is soooooooo worried. She has no education, no skills and no work experience. Is there anyone who's been in this spot that can give some advice on if he would have to pay alimony or something to support her? I know they are considering a legal separation so she would still have insurance. Any advice?
She should hire an attorney. She will most likey get alimony for a few years. Even after the divorce, he may be required to keep her and the kids on his insurance.
Of course she would get alimony. people that work end up getting less or not. her attorney will tell her - or if she is doing this without then have the paralegal put it on the form and the judge will decide.
Hi C. -
Have your sister get a good attorney - I knowof one in Keego Harbor depending on where you are. Yes, your sister is qualified to get alimony, child support if the children are still minors, too. When she comes of age she will be able to tap into her husband's Social Security standing as well since they were married for so long. With a good attorney her husband will be forced to pay all legal fees as well. It is possible he might be forced to pay for some schooling for her as well, I'm not sure on that, though. Tell your sister to keep her head up, keep calm and pray. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to.
S.
Yes she will get alimony based on a percentage of his income. But - Make sure she gets some training, maybe in the medical field of some sort. A friend of mine took 2 night classes in medical terminology and has already found a job as a unit secratary in hospital. Good luck
G.
She should be entitled to some sort of spousal support. The negotiable item is for how long. That is where an attorney willb e able to guide you. Keep in mind though, that if he ever stop working, she is in trouble. She should try to negotiate some kind of training to make her marketable in the job market, because she might not get spousal support forever. And the way health insurance is going, she may have to kick in for part of hers as his policy may change. I wish her well.
Make sure she gets a lawyer who specializes in divorce/family law. There are a lot of lawyers out there doing divorce "for cheap" right now because of the economy - she may save a little now, but will definitely pay for it later with a bad deal for herself. In some cases, the wage-earner may end up paying for both lawyers if financial conditions necessitate. She should be able to get alimony, child-support if there are minor kids, insurance coverage too. If there are kids, make sure future education costs are considered as well - i.e. college funds - but consider whether funds for kids will create problems for college financial aid later on - if the kids have an "income" that may eliminate loans and grants as a possibility. He will probably want to claim the kids as dependents for tax purposes, so this should be negotiated as part of the deal.
