Modify Spousal Maintenance

Post Decree Changes to Existing Support Order

Modify Spousal Maintenance/Support

Mediation when you wish to Modify an Existing Spousal Support Order is fast, comprehensive, economical and most of all preserves respect and collaboration for the Co-Parenting to come. There may be a specific key issue or issues that need addressing or due to typical changes in circumstances over the years the Spousal Support Order needs updating to match the current situation. There may be past due amounts (Arrearages) and a plan needs to be developed to get the back spousal support caught up, that is reasonable to both parties. Changes in Income, Earning Ability, Financial Responsibilities, Industry Changes, Changes in Careers/Employers, etc. from either Party may impact Spousal Maintenance. Sometimes Spousal Maintenance should be terminated before it’s original term ends and the Mediator can help with the financial and legal transition to ending a Spousal Maintenance Order.

The Mediator will lay out the path to achieve all of these important concerns and all while maintaining efficiency with time and money.

The rough process is as follows:

Pre-Mediation Topic and Financial Disclosures
Spousal Support Review Mediation
Document Preparation
Court Filing
Court Acceptance of Agreement
Final Court Order

The Mediator will guide the parties through each step in detail, supporting them fully, and keep the parties on track overall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can't we do our own documentation?

Yes and No. It’s not a good idea to have a party to the negotiation, or their Attorney, draft the final agreements due to conflict of interest, possible misinterpretation, and in the case of Parties doing their own documents, costly mistakes in how the terms are documented.

If both Parties agree, they may of course have a third party prepare the documents, but great care should be taken to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the negotiated terms are properly recorded and satisfactory to Both Parties.

Can you handle complex or non standard parenting schedules?

Absolutely! We have successfully negotiated lots of parenting plans and sharing of time with the children for service members (Thank you for your service and sacrifice!), firefighter Kelly days, parents living in different states, dynamic schedules with absolutely no patterns to them, and even schedules when one parent has 2nd shift and the other parent has 3rd shift. We have not been stumped or surprised and unable to help come up with something that works in non-standard situations.

I have also helped Parties with phased plans that automatically shift into the new parenting schedule at predetermined times. For example we can have Plan A that is effective immediately, Plan B which kicks in when the other Party secures adequate housing, and Plan C when the Child(ren) start Kindergarten.

Can you handle complex and high income situations?

Yes! I have had many high income high worth cases, even a few billionaires, and we have addressed the confusion that can come from complex real estate development, bonds, investments, start-ups, prenuptial agreements and beneficiary of trust situations.

When there are specific questions or challenges for tax planning for example, we work well with Tax Attorneys and Financial Advisors to make sure they understand the contemplated negotiation and the resulting advice is correctly represented in the Court Papers, or MOU.

Service Snapshot

Typical Fees

$245 each

More About Mediation Fees

Typical Duration

1 to 3 Weeks (includes court time)

More About Length of Mediation

Typical Mediation Hours

1 to 2 Hours

More About Mediation Hours

Topics Covered

Review Changes to:
Employer/Career
Health Insurance
Income of the Parties
Arrearages/Back Spousal Support
Financial Disclosures
Taxes/Withholding
Court Process
Court Papers