If you’ve decided that your marriage isn’t working and it makes sense to separate, it’s important to know how to go through the process legally. In this video, we’ll take a look at the information you need to move forward with the legal separation process to make things as smooth as possible.
It’s important to note that legal separation laws vary from state to state.
Gathering general information on separation can be helpful, but it’s important that you work closely with a lawyer in your state to ensure that you’re checking all of the boxes when it comes to fairly separating your marriage. You may need to consider custody, spousal support, and property division, just like you’d need to consider in a divorce.
From a procedural standpoint, the paperwork is exactly the same for a separation as a divorce. The main difference between the two processes is that during a divorce, the marriage becomes legally dissolved. In a legal separation, this is not the case. During a separation, either spouse may petition the court for a divorce. Many people who go through a legal separation ask that their separation be converted from a separation to a divorce after a year of living apart.
