Note that information given in this section cannot take the place of a divorce lawyer. For legal divorce advice about your specific situation, you must consult a qualified lawyer. See our disclaimer.

"I've been ordered to pay an amount of support that I can't afford. What are my options?"

Support orders are always modifiable. If your circumstances have changed (e.g. you lost your job, had to take a pay cut, or got sick and now have to pay huge medical bills) since a child- or spousal-support order was entered, you can petition the court to modify that order.

Once you are in court, you must be prepared to present an itemized list of your income and expenses -- with back-up documents! If the judge can see that the support order is unreasonable, he or she will change it. On the other hand, if the judge just entered the support order recently, and nothing has changed since the order was entered, you're going to have a tough time persuading him or her to change the order -- particularly if the judge has already looked at all of your evidence and ruled against you. No matter what you do, though, having a lawyer represent you in this type of circumstance is always a good idea.

Karen A. Covy, J.D. is an attorney and family-law mediator in Chicago. She owns and operates Midwest Mediation as well as a successful family-law firm. This answer is an excerpt from When Happily Ever After Ends (2006), used by permission of its publisher, Sphinx Publishing, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. She can be reached at (312) 236-1670. View her Divorce Magazine profile.