Spousal Maintenance | Maintenance Spousal Support | Howells
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Spousal Maintenance

Spousal Maintenance Solicitors based in Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham delivering advice in London and Nationwide

Spousal maintenance can be a sensitive subject. However, spousal support may be required after a divorce where one spouse will not have the financial resources to meet their reasonable needs after the end of a marriage. But there is no automatic right to maintenance, so expert legal advice is crucial for a fair order which includes spousal maintenance.

 

Our team of spousal maintenance solicitors are part of one of the largest family law teams in the north of England. The Legal 500 accredits the team as one of the top family law firms in the country.

 

The team are also accredited by Resolution and the Law Society and have many positive client reviews, earning them a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Review Solicitors.

Our family law team offer a free initial 30-minute consultation to new clients by telephone, video call or face to face and offer extremely competitive prices on fixed fee divorces from £275 + VAT, making us one of the most price affordable law firms offering family law services in the south, without compromising on quality.

What is Spousal Maintenance

Spousal maintenance is a form of financial support paid by one ex-spouse to the other after a divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership. Spousal maintenance is generally awarded to the lower earner in a relationship based on their reasonable needs, particularly where that party has been financially dependent on the other during the marriage.

 

Spousal Maintenance After Divorce

During the process of a divorce, it is essential that you obtain a financial settlement, so you receive what you are entitled to and to protect your assets in the future.

Our spousal maintenance solicitors can make sure you know exactly where you stand and the level of spousal maintenance that you may be likely to achieve in a settlement or at upon an application to the Court. You can then make an informed choice about how to move forward.

 

How Much Spousal Maintenance will I receive?

The amount of spousal maintenance a party can expect to receive differs in every case.

To help you reach an agreement, our solicitors can help you prepare all paperwork, propose budgets, and negotiate the best settlement for you, creating a foundation for a collaborative discussion with your ex-spouse and promoting the most amicable solution.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the Family Court will decide what a ‘fair’ amount of spousal maintenance is, dependent on the circumstances of the case. The factors considered by the Court include income, outgoings, debt, reasonable needs and fairness.

 

Services Provided by our Spousal Maintenance Solicitors in Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham, London and Nationwide

Our spousal maintenance solicitors can:

  • Give advice on financial settlements.
  • Advise if you are entitled to spousal maintenance and how to receive this.
  • Negotiate a divorce financial settlement, including any spousal support.
  • Negotiate the terms of the spousal maintenance agreement.
  • Deal with all paperwork.
  • Obtain any court or financial orders needed.
  • Deal with any varying spousal maintenance if either spouse’s circumstance change.
  • Give advice on any non-payments of spousal maintenance.

Ideally, you will be able to reach an agreement without the Family Court having to decide the outcome. Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free consultation today.

 

How to Apply for Spousal Maintenance

There are two options to secure spousal maintenance:

  • As part of an agreement
  • An Order in Court proceedings.

Both options can be dealt with by a spousal maintenance solicitor.

 

Spousal Maintenance Agreement

It is usually better if spousal maintenance is agreed by the parties as part of a financial settlement. This is usually much faster and less costly than engaging in Court proceedings. Our spousal maintenance solicitors can help negotiate your spousal support and help you agree the appropriate sum as part of an agreement, whilst keeping the stress and conflict to a minimum.

 

Spousal Maintenance Order

In cases where negotiating appropriate spousal maintenance is not possible, it may be necessary to seek the Court’s involvement to resolve the issue. Our spousal maintenance solicitors can either apply to the Court to include spousal maintenance in the overall financial division or apply separately for a court order specifically addressing maintenance.

Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free consultation today and to discuss the best option available to you.

 

How Long Does Spousal Support Last?

How long spousal maintenance will last will be determined by what the parties agree or at the discretion of the Family Court. Most spousal maintenance agreements or orders are for a fixed term with a clear end date. However, spousal maintenance can be agreed or ordered until a specific event, such as when a child leaves home or remarriage, or indefinitely.

 

Free Legal Consultation

Our spousal maintenance solicitors offer a free legal consultation to new clients. You can book an appointment by telephone, video call or in person.

Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free consultation today.

 

Our Spousal Maintenance Solicitors

Our spousal maintenance solicitors represent clients in:

 

Sheffield

Barnsley

Rotherham

South Yorkshire, including Doncaster and the Peak District

– Elsewhere in Yorkshire, including Leeds, Whitby, Castleford, York and Skipton

Derbyshire, including ChesterfieldCastleton and Derby

London and surrounding areas

Nottingham, Mansfield, Worksop and surrounding areas in Nottinghamshire

– Other areas in the north of England, including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford, Bolton and Middlesbrough

– The midlands, including Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Grantham, Stoke on Trent, LincolnPeterborough Stafford and Leicester

– The south of England, including CornwallDorset, Oxford, Gloucestershire, Chichester, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Bournemouth, Exeter, Milton Keys, Cheltenham, Bath, Plymouth and Ipswich

Cheshire

– Nationwide (throughout England)

 

Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free appointment today.

Spousal maintenance Frequently Asked Questions

 

How is spousal maintenance calculated?

There is no set formula for determining the amount of spousal maintenance to be paid. Negotiations should begin with a realistic assessment of the receiving spouse’s reasonable needs, their income, and assets, as well as the paying spouse’s financial resources. This is also the approach a Court would take if it needed to decide whether, and to what extent, spousal maintenance should be paid.

Do you have to wait until the divorce is finalised to get spousal maintenance?

No, it is possible to apply for interim maintenance (or “maintenance pending suit” during the divorce process. A solicitor can support with this.

Do I still receive spousal maintenance if I move in with a new partner?

Moving in with a new partner does not mean that the paying party can automatically stop spousal maintenance payments. This will depend on the terms of the order; however, it is advised to discuss this with a spousal maintenance solicitor.

Free Legal Consultation Family Law

Our family law team offer a free legal consultation to new clients. You can book an appointment by telephone, video call or in person You can book a consultation to have by telephone, video call or in person, at a time that suits your needs.

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How can we help? Contact us today

Contact us on 0114 2235 807 and one of our advisors will be in touch to discuss your situation. We will take some initial information and if we can help, we will book you in for a consultation with a legal professional.

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The Howells Solicitors law team are compassionate, down-to-earth and professional, offering you the best expert advice. Get in touch with solicitors in Sheffield, Rotherham, and Barnsley to see how we can help. Fill in the form or give us a call at:

Solicitors for Spousal Support

The Howells Solicitors divorce team are one of the largest in South Yorkshire England. They specialise in many family law services.

These include divorce, financial settlements, and child custody arrangements. They also handle collaborative law, care proceedings, and adoption. Other areas include guardianship, child abduction, and domestic abuse.

Our divorce solicitors have a great reputation for handling many types of cases. They work with high-net-worth finances and complex child cases. The team also have extensive experience of representing clients at court, including parents, grandparents, guardians, and children.

Our family lawyers cover the entirety of South Yorkshire, with offices in Sheffield, Barnsley, and Rotherham. They also often receive instructions from clients all over the UK. This includes regular clients in London and nearby areas.

The caring Alyson Siddal leads the team. She knows she is working with people, not just ‘cases.’ Alyson has been an important part of Howells Solicitors for over 30 years. She brings a lot of knowledge and experience in divorce and family law.

The team also includes Sharon Lockwood, a senior divorce solicitor and director. She is well-respected in Rotherham and South Yorkshire. Sharon is a specialist in complex cases involving children and high value assets.

Sharon is very active in the South Yorkshire community. She receives a lot of praise from her clients and colleagues. She has become one of the top divorce specialists in the area.

The team includes family law solicitor and director John Clegg. He is a specialist in family law. He handles all areas of family law.

This includes divorce, civil partnership, and cohabitation breakdown. He also deals with financial matters that arise during separation and divorce. Additionally, he works on pre and post-nuptial agreements. He helps protect clients from domestic abuse.

Client Feedback

The divorce team rank number 2 in Sheffield, and number 1 in Rotherham and Barnsley on Review Solicitors with an average ranking of 4.9 out of 5 stars in reviews received and 99% of former clients confirm they would recommend the firm, which is a testament to the quality of advice they provide and their exceptional client care. The team are often praised for their professionalism, compassion, empathy, and kindness.

“Thank you so much for all you have done. I cannot speak highly enough of you & everyone I have met at Howells. I have already recommended Howells & yourself to the specialist teams I am now in contact with & will continue to do so.”

“Many thanks again for your invaluable help, advice and your calm, approachable manner. It is very much appreciated!”

“Howells provided a great service and worked quickly and efficiently to get the job completed to try to keep my costs down too. I would recommend Sharon and the team.”

“Excellent service with prompt response time.”

“I used Sharon Lockwood in my extremely messy and prolonged divorce case, and I cannot thank her enough. She was kind and caring at times when I was very distressed and at the same time both efficient and professional.”

“Sharon was exceptional from our first telephone call and throughout this process. Professional, supportive, knowledgeable, and very clear.”

“Sharon has been a rock she explains everything every step of the way she has gotten me through a very tough year, and I will be for ever grateful to her.”

“I chose to sort my divorce and financial settlement with Sharon Lockwood at Howells solicitors after seeing other reviews. I was not disappointed in any way, shape, or form. She is very professional and quick off the ball. I would highly recommend Sharon and her colleagues at Howells for a fast and very efficient service and would use again if needed.”

Legal 500 Ranking

2018 – Tier 3 – “The Howells family team works across Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley, with Alyson Siddall focusing on high-value financial work, and co-leading the team alongside Sharon Lockwood, whose expertise lies in matters involving tax elements and inherited assets, and John Clegg, who brings extensive experience regarding complex cases involving children. The team undertakes a wide range of family work, with notable expertise in working on complex domestic abuse and care cases.”

2021 – Tier 2 – “Howells fields a substantial family team, which also features eight Children Panel members and five Resolution accredited panel members. Practice head Alyson Siddall is a key name for high-value financial work, advising clients in high-net-worth cases involving significant assets and pensions. John Clegg is particularly well known and respected for children and finance work. He is one of a handful of solicitors in the city who still does finance legal aid work.”

2022 – Tier 1 Ranking – “The team are particularly well known for high-net-worth cases. In addition, the practice has a strong regional reputation.”

2023 – Tier 2 Ranking – “The team undertakes a wide range of family work, with notable expertise in working on complex domestic abuse and care cases.”

2024- Tier 2 Ranking

Professional Feedback

“A go to for complex children matters. Is thorough and deals with cases with a level of detail and knowledge that are truly impressive. Has the detail of every aspect of the case at her fingertips. She is also sensitive and compassionate in her approach to clients, but quite capable of delivering difficult and realistic advice.”

“Sharon Lockwood is dedicated to seeking very practical solutions to financial cases. Tenacious but also very realistic at the same time”

“Alyson Siddall is a pleasure to deal with and is very knowledgeable and competent. She also has a very calm manner, which I am sure is appreciated by clients and other professionals alike.”

“An effective and tenacious advocate known for his thorough, sensible and constructive approach. Has a wealth of knowledge and experience in all areas of financial and children cases and the safest pair of hands no matter how difficult the case.”

“Excellent Collaborative lawyer and a leading family solicitor in Sheffield. Experienced, dedicated and knowledgeable.”

“Thorough in preparation, experienced, excellent with clients, willing to go above and beyond and a strong presence in the courtroom.”

Alyson Siddall

Family Law

0114 249 6659
Sharon Lockwood

Family Law

01709 364000
John Clegg

Family Law

0114 249 6795
Colin Musgrave

Family Law

0114 249 6709
Wendy Bailey

Family Law

01226 805 190
Caroline Euinton

Family Law

0114 249 6643
Cody Minshall

Family Law

0114 249 6656
Ramandeep Kaur

Family Law

0114 249 6703
Danielle Mahyar

Family Law

01226 805 190
Laura Hill

Family Law

0114 249 6638
Michaela Logue

Family Law

0114 2496666
Louise Ellis

Family Law

01709 364 000