Arkansas Military Divorce Lawyers
When an experienced Arkansas military divorce lawyer is needed to implement every phase of the end of a servicemember’s marriage, the law firm of Tripcony May is here to help.
Tripcony May has more than 50 years of experience fighting for military families in the courtroom and deep insights into the military divorce legal process. We provide experienced, aggressive, effective representation, and our attorneys have great success for both military members and spouses in cases involving military pay, benefits, retirement, custody and relocation.
Find Experienced Legal Help with an Arkansas Military Divorce in any part of Arkansas including Central Arkansas, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood, and Maumelle.
Although military and civilian divorces are similar, there are important differences. Concerns over issues such as military benefits and overseas child custody can make a difficult time even more trying.
Due to the differences between military and civilian divorce, it is crucial that your attorney be familiar with procedural laws such as the Serviceman’s Civil Relief Act of 2003 (previously known as the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Civil Relief Act) as well as military retirement annuities and other related retirement issues.
Tripcony May has this knowledge, gives you the important facts you need, listens to your goals and works hard for your family now and in the future.
Military Retirement Pay, Benefits and Retirement Considerations
Hiring the best divorce lawyer you can is key if military benefits and retirement are involved—even if the divorce is uncontested. We have considerable experience litigating the division of military retirement pay for servicemembers and spouses.
- If you are in the military, one of our primary objectives is to limit your financial exposure and to protect your assets.
- If you are the spouse of a military member, we will seek to obtain for you the maximum benefits allowed. For example, you may be entitled to a portion of the servicemember’s military retirement—as well as ongoing military health care benefits.
Military Child Custody & Child Support
Military child custody law issues can become particularly complicated. The ever-present realities of deployments and relocations can increase stress on military personnel who are concerned about losing time with their children. When a military parent has a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and moves overseas, custody issues often arise. We handle all types of military custody and child support disputes including involving relocation.
Alimony / Spousal Support
Alimony, also known as spousal support, is different for military spouses for several reasons. It can also be different based on the branch of the military and whether an agreement is reached or a court order is issued.
Generally, for Army personnel, a military spouse is required by AR 608-99 to provide Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) as support to their dependents, but not always. There are exceptions in which experienced attorneys can get judgments where a servicemember will not be required to give up BAH. On the other hand, for spouses, an experienced attorney can sometimes be successful in obtaining support in excess of BAH.
It differs for Air Force personnel and their spouses where there are no specific requirements for distribution outside of what the parties’ agreement or a court determines (see AIR FORCE INSTRUCTION 36-2906).
The Navy does provide some guidance on this for instances without an agreement or court order in MILPERSMAN 1754-030, Chapter 15, Support of Family Members. Support guidelines range from 1/6 of gross pay for one child up to 3/5 of gross pay for a spouse and two or more children.
For Marine personnel, MCO P5800.16A, Marine Corps Manual for Legal Administration sets up the guidelines for support in the absence of a court order or agreement. In section 15004, the amount payable upon request by a family member is expressed as a fraction of the BAH or OHA the marine is receiving, with a minimum dollar level per family member.
We can help you navigate the waters of alimony and spousal support no matter which branch of the military is involved.
Representation During Deployment
At Tripcony May, we have experience and success representing deployed servicemembers with divorce and custody issues. If you are deployed or are going through a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and the proper venue for your case is Arkansas, we can help you. We can answer your questions for you. Call us today.
Equitable Distribution of Assets in Military Divorces
While equitable doesn’t always mean half, it does mean fair. This means you should be able to leave your marriage with valuable assets you came into it with — such as family or heirloom jewelry. However, the items you bought and accumulated during your marriage, including property, cars, and money in bank accounts, usually are divided.
A qualified family lawyer with experience in military divorces can help you divide the items that fall into the proper “yours and mine” category. This may be further complicated if you’ve been living overseas or are maintaining two households due to deployment.
Talk with Tripcony May about your assets to make sure you get what’s rightfully yours, while not having to take on debt you didn’t incur.
The Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA) was created to protect retirement and health benefits for divorced spouses of active and inactive military personnel. If you or your spouse is an active or inactive member of the armed forces and you are facing the end of your marriage, seeking legal help from an attorney who understands the complexities of military divorce is essential to a positive settlement. Attorneys at Tripcony May have more than 50 years of experience in handling all areas of family law, including civilian and military divorces in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood, Maumelle, and throughout Arkansas.
You can rely on our legal experience with contested and uncontested divorce in the following areas:
- Property Division and Asset Protection
- Spousal Support
- Visitation Agreements
- Child Custody, including Joint Custody
- Out of State and International Custody Agreements
- Child Support
Talk with an Arkansas Family Lawyer who Understands the Complexities of Military Divorce
For more than 50 years, Tripcony May has provided practical family law advice to clients in Pulaski County, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood and Maumelle as well as the rest of the State of Arkansas. Divorce laws pertaining to military marriages can be significantly more complicated than laws for civilian divorces. Mr. Tripcony or Mrs. May are proud to serve military personnel in the State of Arkansas.
Contact Tripcony May today to speak with an experienced military divorce attorney. Get answers to your family law questions today by calling us at 501-296-9999.