“How much do I have to pay?”

That’s the question I hear over and over when a husband and father talks to me about spousal support, or alimony.

Maryland has three basic kinds of alimony, or spousal support

• temporary (or, “pendente lite,” a complicated word that just means “during litigation”);
• rehabilitative (or statutory); or
• permanent

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting a series about each one, as well as some philosophical meandering about why we have such a thing and whether it can apply to you, as husband and father.

Unfortunately, the one thing you won’t find in any of my posts is an answer to the question, “How much!!??”

The reason for that is that Maryland does not have any standard formula for setting an amount of alimony. Not for any of the three types. Some states have a formula for figuring out how much alimony has to be paid, but Maryland is not one of them.

The fact is, the amount you have to pay (or get) can be as different as the judge who hears your case and the quality of the lawyer who represents you. Because of that, the answer I always give clients who ask the question, “How much?” is, “I don’t know.”

Come back often in the next few weeks to learn more about how Maryland law deals with alimony.