Texas is one of the more restrictive states when it comes to court-ordered spousal support. Whether you are seeking maintenance after a long marriage or defending against a claim you believe does not meet the legal threshold, the rules are specific and the stakes are real. Scott M. Brown & Associates represents Sugar Land clients through spousal maintenance and alimony cases in Texas, including eligibility analysis, negotiating contractual alimony as part of a divorce settlement, and enforcement when payments fall behind.
Schedule a confidential consultation: call +1 281-393-4184 or request a time online. You will talk through your situation with our team and leave knowing what your next step looks like.
Family Law We Handle in Sugar Land
Our Sugar Land practice covers the full range of family law, including spousal maintenance and alimony and the issues below. If your situation involves one of these other matters, we can help, and each link leads to the page that covers it in depth.
- Divorce: Filing, negotiating, and finalizing your case, whether contested or agreed.
- Child Custody: How conservatorship and possession schedules are decided for your children.
- Child Support: Setting, modifying, or enforcing child support under Texas guidelines.
- Property Division: How Texas community property law applies to your home, business, and retirement accounts.
- Paternity: Establishing, confirming, or challenging legal fatherhood under Texas law.
Where You Are, Where Your Case Is Heard
| Office | Counties Served | Where Custody Cases Are Heard |
|---|---|---|
| Scott M. Brown & Associates 12808 W Airport Blvd, Suite 303B Sugar Land, Texas 77478 +1 281-393-4184 Mon-Thu: 8 AM – 5:30 PM Fri: 9 AM – 12 PM | Fort Bend County | Fort Bend County Justice Center 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle Richmond, TX 77469 Custody and family law cases are heard by the District Courts. New petitioners are filed with the District Clerk at the same address. |
Court-ordered spousal maintenance and contractual alimony follow different paths in Fort Bend County: one is argued in front of a judge, the other is negotiated and enforced as a private contract. Which path applies changes your entire strategy, and we walk you through that distinction before anything is filed. Our team appears regularly in the courts that hear both.
The Attorneys Who Serve Sugar Land
When you hire our firm, you work with attorneys who practice family law in Fort Bend County, not just a name on the letterhead.
Scott M. Brown
Senior Partner & CEO
Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a named Texas Super Lawyer, Scott has spent more than two decades on high-net-worth divorce and contested financial disputes, exactly where spousal maintenance and alimony fights carry the most at stake.
Paula Roark Cundiff
Senior Partner
Paula’s practice centers on high-conflict, high-net-worth divorce, giving Sugar Land clients an advocate who has already handled the financial disputes that spousal maintenance and alimony claims often turn on.
Caryn Gomar
Managing Attorney
Caryn spent her early career prosecuting protective order and family violence cases, background that matters directly here, since family violence is one of the specific grounds Texas law recognizes for spousal maintenance eligibility.
Richard Lybarger
Senior Associate Attorney
A litigator with four decades of experience and a background in real estate and accounting, Richard has a rare eye for the income and asset analysis that spousal maintenance and alimony cases depend on, exactly the fluency Sugar Land clients need when eligibility or amount is contested.
Lourel Jones
Associate Attorney
Lourel built his early career in criminal law, from a felony prosecution clinic to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and he brings that same case-building discipline, witness interviews, negotiation, trial prep, to the family law matters he handles for clients here.
Sarah Williams
Family Law Attorney
A University of Houston Law Center graduate who practiced divorce and custody as a solo attorney before joining the firm, Sarah pairs a research-grounded, client-direct approach with probate and estate planning skill for Fort Bend County families.
Why Sugar Land Families Choose Scott M. Brown & Associates
Spousal support in Texas is not automatic, and it is not generous by default. The statutory caps on amount and duration are real limits that apply in nearly every case, and eligibility itself is not guaranteed even in long marriages. Clients come to us having been told they will “definitely get support” or “definitely not pay it,” and the reality is almost always more nuanced.
We do the eligibility analysis before any representations are made. Whether you are seeking maintenance or have been served with a petition, we assess the facts honestly, including the length of the marriage, income disparity, disability or caregiving circumstances, and any history of family violence, before advising on strategy.
Contractual alimony gives both sides more flexibility than the statute allows. For Fort Bend County clients in longer marriages or in cases with significant income differences, a negotiated alimony agreement can provide more certainty and better terms than rolling the dice at trial.
When payments stop, we act. Whether the support was ordered by the court or agreed to in a contract, a missed payment is a legal problem. We advise on the fastest and most effective enforcement path in Fort Bend County.
No predictions about what a judge will award. A commitment to building the strongest possible case on your facts. Our published case results reflect what preparation and advocacy have produced for families in situations like yours.
Ready to talk? Call +1 281-393-4184 or schedule a confidential consultation.
What to Expect When You Call
Our spousal support consultation focuses on your specific facts before any strategy is discussed:
- We assess eligibility or exposure honestly. Length of marriage, income picture, disability or caregiving circumstances, and relevant history. No sugarcoating in either direction.
- We explain the difference between court-ordered maintenance and contractual alimony. And which path makes more sense for your situation.
- We outline what the process looks like. Filing, responding, negotiating, or enforcing. You leave knowing what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Texas require spousal support after a divorce in Fort Bend County?
How long does spousal maintenance last under Texas law?
My former spouse stopped making spousal support payments. What are my options?
Talk to a Sugar Land Spousal Support Attorney
We know the Fort Bend County courts, we know the kind of spousal support case you are facing, and we will tell you the truth about your options before you commit to anything. Scott M. Brown & Associates has represented Fort Bend County families for more than two decades, with board-certified Texas family law attorneys with decades of combined courtroom experience. We serve clients from four Texas locations, and we will make sure you are working with the right attorney for your case.
Call +1 281-393-4184 or schedule a consultation online. We will match you with the right attorney on our Sugar Land team and get you a clear first step.
