Child & Spousal Support Modifications in Franklin, Brentwood & Columbia, TN

Petitioning the court after a substantial change in your financial circumstances

Once the court issues an order for alimony/spousal support and child support, that order stays in place until another court order changes it. It is not up to either spouse to decide unilaterally or together to start operating on a new agreement. Certainly, they can come to an understanding, but until the court ratifies that new agreement, the old one stays in place and has the force of law. To ensure that you remain in compliance with the court, you must petition for a modification of your support orders. For more than 20 years, the Law Offices of Adrian H. Altshuler & Associates has assisted clients in actions to modify support orders, including:

• Payors who need a child and spousal support modification because their economic hardship has made the current payment schedule too burdensome
• Payors who desire a spousal support modification because their ex-spouse’s improved financial circumstances make the current payment schedule unfair and unnecessary
• Recipients who oppose the payor’s petition to modify the support order

A lawyer who can help with your child or spousal support modification

It’s not unusual for an obligated spouse to suffer a layoff and be unable to meet support obligations. Often, a couple will come to an understanding where the payor gets a little breathing room until work picks up. Unfortunately, most parties never bother to get legal recognition for their new agreement, so over time, they find their new arrangement was incomplete and unenforceable. This is almost always worse for the payor than the recipient, who can enforce the original order, including back payments.

Alimony adjustments after a dependent spouse remarries

Tennessee is not a state that leans heavily on permanent alimony. Many types of alimony are temporary. But the court may modify or even rescind a permanent order when a spouse remarries or obtains gainful employment that obviates the need for support. A knowledgeable alimony attorney can advise you whether your circumstances merit a modification or cancellation of alimony. The cancellation of alimony would not affect child support obligations since a parent has a duty to support a child irrespective of the other spouse’s financial status.

Separating child support from a parent’s visitation rights

It’s a challenge to maintain strict schedules of visitation for active youngsters who are engaged in multiple activities, but truth be told, there are custodial parents who actively obstruct their ex’s efforts to spend parenting time with a child. When that happens, the noncustodial parent’s first thought may be to withhold child support or alimony payments. This type of self-help is ultimately self-defeating, because it puts the noncustodial parent outside the law. Attorney Adrian Altshuler has done much work on fathers’ rights, especially in the area of visitation rights, and can help you obtain court enforcement.

Contact a child and spousal support lawyer with extensive experience handling order modifications

If you have questions regarding a modification to child support or alimony, come to the Law Offices of Adrian H. Altshuler & Associates for a free initial consultation. Schedule your appointment by calling 615-977-9370 or using our convenient online form.