Rocklin Spousal Support Lawyer
Call Us Today530-285-4844
Call Us Today530-285-4844
You want to know what spousal support will look like in your case, whether you will pay it or receive it, and for how long. That number does not come from a guess. California calculates support one way while your case is still open, and a different way once it is decided.
Before Sara Thompson became a Rocklin spousal support lawyer, she spent about nine years working as a paralegal, most of it in family law cases like this one. She learned how Placer County judges set support long before she argued her first case as an attorney.
At the Law Office of Sara S. Thompson, PC, we walk you through what to expect so you understand where your number is likely to land before you go to court.
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As a spousal support lawyer serving Rocklin, we help clients on both sides of a support order. We handle requests for temporary support while a divorce is pending, and final support orders at the end of a case. We also handle:
Whether you expect to pay support or need it to get back on your feet, we build your case around the specific income numbers, the length of your marriage, and the other facts a Placer County judge will weigh. We don’t work off a guess at what feels fair.
Temporary support, the kind ordered while your case is still open, is set using a formula based on both spouses’ incomes. It is meant to hold things steady, not to predict your final outcome.
Final support works differently. Judges do not use a formula. They weigh what is known as the 4320 factors (Cal. Fam. Code § 4320), including each spouse’s earning capacity, the standard of living during the marriage, and each spouse’s ability to pay.
None of this is decided by chance. It comes down to how your income, your spouse’s income, and your marriage timeline get presented in front of a judge. We prepare that presentation around the exact factors above.
Marriage length drives duration. In most cases, support will not run longer than half the length of the marriage. That general rule changes for marriages of 10 years or more, which California treats as a long term marriage (Cal. Fam. Code § 4336).
In a long-term marriage, a judge can keep the case open indefinitely instead of setting a hard end date. That does not mean support runs forever. The same judge still expects the spouse receiving support to work toward becoming self-supporting over a reasonable period. Either spouse can later ask a judge to revisit the amount if circumstances change.
Rocklin does not have its own family courthouse. Spousal support requests for Rocklin residents, along with every other Placer County family law matter, are typically heard at the Hon. Howard G. Gibson Courthouse in Roseville.
Most first hearings address temporary support only. The judge applies the formula to both spouses’ current incomes and issues an order meant to hold things steady until the case is resolved.
Yes. Either spouse can request a modification when income, health, or living situations change significantly after the order is in place. Until a judge signs a new order, the existing one still applies and still has to be paid in full.
Remarriage of the spouse receiving support ends that support automatically, unless you and your ex-spouse signed a written agreement saying support continues anyway. Moving in with a new partner does not end it automatically, but it can be a reason to ask a judge to lower or end the payment, depending on the specific living arrangement.
No. California is a no-fault state, so the reason for the divorce does not factor into a spousal support order. Judges look at income, earning capacity, and the marriage itself, not who filed first or why.
We can help you enforce an existing order, including through wage garnishment. Unpaid support does not go away on its own, and interest continues to accrue on what is owed.
Cost depends on whether your support request is contested and how many other issues, like custody or property division, are part of the same case. We will discuss the retainer amount at your first consultation.
You do not have to work out what you owe or what you are owed on your own. Contact the Law Office of Sara S. Thompson, PC to schedule a confidential consultation about your Rocklin spousal support case. Tell us where things stand and we will tell you what your support situation looks like.
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