Berland

In this case we hold that the trial court, in granting a motion to modify a Richmond spousal support order, possesses broad discretion not only as to how long to extend the order, but also as to the amount of spousal support ordered to be paid during the extension. A Richmond order is normally issued with the expectation that if the supported spouse exercises reasonable diligence, he or she will have become self-supporting by the date set for support payments to end. If the court finds that there was a failure to exercise reasonable diligence to become self-supporting, but that even if reasonable diligence has been exercised the supported spouse would still not have become fully self-supporting, the court possesses the discretion to extend the duration of the order and to fix the support in the amount the *1261 supported spouse would have required if reasonable diligence had been exercised. The trial court possesses the discretion to determine whether or not the supporting spouse should be required to assist the supported spouse with financial needs which are unmet because of the failure of the supported spouse to have exercised reasonable diligence to become…