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Divorce
Custody/Support
Equitable Distribution
Alimony
Separation Agreements










Stepp Lehnhardt Law Group sponsored “Pass the Plate”, a fundraiser to support the Union County Community Shelter, in December 2012.
Stepp Lehnhardt Law Group is the presenting sponsor of the 5th Annual Alex Kahle Memorial Golf Classic, which is being held on October 22, 2012 at Rolling Hills Country Club in Monroe. This annual golf tournament is the primary fundraiser for the Annual Alex Kahle Memorial Scholarship.
Attorneys in the firm will be attending the first annual Boots & Bowties event to benefit the Union County Community Shelter. The Shelter provides emergency and transitional sheltering for adults and families. Their soup kitchen serves 3 hot meals daily onsite. Partner attorney Dana B. Lehnhardt is a board member for the organization.
Attorneys in the firm will be participating in the 5th Annual American Red Cross Hendrick Chevrolet Cadillac Golf Classic at the Monroe Country Club on October 5, 2012. Proceeds will go to benefit the Union County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Associate attorney Robin Goulet serves as Vice-Chair and a board member.
Stepp Lehnhardt Law Group is in the process of planning and co-sponsoring the 2012 North Carolina Family Law Specialists Conference to be held at Pinehurst Resort on July 20th and 21st, 2012.
Partner attorney Dana B. Lehnhardt will be the featured speaker at the Union County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business luncheon on May 31, 2012.
Partner attorney Dana B. Lehnhardt will be the featured speaker at the Union County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business luncheon on May 31, 2012.
Stepp Lehnhardt Law Group was the presenting sponsor for the annual Union Symphony Gala on February 11, 2012. Proceeds went to benefit the Union Symphony Society, Inc.
The firm hosted the second annual Get Lucky for Charity event on March 15, 2012 as part of the Union County Red Cross Heroes Campaign.
Stepp Lehnhardt Law Group is a sponsor and participant in the Crumpets for Trumpets table-scaping competition on April 21, 2012. Proceeds will benefit the Union Symphony Society, Inc. Associate attorney, Penelope Hefner, is on the board for the Union Symphony Society and is also the chair for this event.
All four attorneys will attend Parenting Coordinator training in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14, 2012 to become Certified Parenting Coordinators.
The firm is a Silver Sponsor for the Union County Community Shelter’s annual golf tournament to be held on April 25, 2012.

Alimony

Alimony is financial support that is paid from one spouse to another after the separation and/or divorce of the parties. It should be noted that an alimony claim must be filed before an absolute divorce is granted to either party.  If the divorce is granted before you or your spouse file for alimony, then the claim is lost and the court can no longer decide the issue.  Alimony is paid by the supporting spouse to the dependant spouse of the marriage and is based on several factors, including income.  Alimony can be temporary and such type of alimony is called post-separation support.  These payments serve to financially support the dependent spouse until such time as permanent alimony can be determined.  “Permanent alimony” can either be for an indefinite term or for a specific period.  It is paid by the supporting spouse to the dependent spouse for such period and in such form as determined by a judge or agreed upon by the parties.  North Carolina General Statute §50-16.3A(b) allows a judge to consider a variety of factors in determining who receives alimony, how much, and for how long, including:

  • Marital misconduct by either spouse
  • Relative earning and earning capacities of the spouses
  • Ages and the physical, mental, and emotional conditions of the spouses
  • Amount and sources of earned and unearned income of both spouses, including, but not limited to, earnings, dividends, and benefits such as medical, retirement, insurance, social security, etc.
  • Duration of the marriage
  • Contribution by one spouse to the education, training, or increased earning power of the other spouse
  • Extent to which the earning power, expenses, or financial obligations of a spouse will be affected by reason of serving as the custodian of the minor child
  •  Standard of living of the spouses established during the marriage
  • Relative education of the spouses and the time necessary to acquire sufficient education or training to enable the spouse seeking alimony to find employment to meet his or her reasonable economic needs
  • Relative assets and liabilities of the spouses and the relative debt service requirements of the spouses, including legal obligations of support
  • Property brought to the marriage by either spouse
  • Contribution of a spouse as homemaker
  • Relative needs of the spouses
  • Federal, State, and local tax ramifications of the alimony award
  • Any other factor relating to the economic circumstances of the parties that the court finds to be just and proper
  • The fact that income received by either party was previously considered by the court in determining the value of a marital or divisible asset in an equitable distribution of the parties' marital or divisible property

 It is possible for alimony to be made in monthly payments until such time as the court determines the supporting spouse is no longer entitled or in need of alimony.  Alimony can also be a lump sum payment, meaning that the supporting spouse will make a large payment, in the form of cash or some kind of property, to the dependant spouse that will relieve the supporting spouse of the alimony obligation.  Under North Carolina law, there are circumstances which result in termination of alimony, including the death of either party, remarriage of the dependent spouse, or cohabitation by the dependent spouse as defined by North Carolina General Statute §50-16.3(b)

 

Address: 110 E. Franklin Street Monroe, NC 28112 
Phone: 704-289-8585 | 704-283-5353  Fax: 704-289-2528

Mailing Address: PO Box 159 Monroe, NC 28111

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