What if My Spouse is the Primary Wage Earner?

If you anticipate that you will not be able to support yourself from your own separate property, not all hope is lost. Although Texas does not recognize alimony as many other states do, you may be successful in pursuing a claim for spousal maintenance to support your minimum reasonable needs.

The term “minimum reasonable needs” is a legal term of art, and establishing these needs is not as simple as submitting a request to the Court. However, depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, a Court may be willing to grant spousal maintenance for a period of time after the divorce while a former spouse attempts to secure new employment or financial support.

Although your spouse is the primary wage earner, this does not mean that you cannot afford an attorney to represent you in your divorce. In Texas, spouses are able to use community funds to cover their expenses for reasonable and necessary attorneys fees, even in a divorce case. Call to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys to discuss how these options may be available to you in your case.