Legal And Emotional Concepts About Marriage and Separation

By Staff Writer

The end of a marriage and separation can be devastating events in a person's life. It's easy to say things, or do things, that not only harm the relationship even further, but even jeopardize a divorce settlement later on. If you are considering ending your marriage and separation, you should be aware of some of these red flags.

Ending your Marriage And Separation--Legal Aspects to Consider
In some states, if you separate against your spouse's wishes, you may give your spouse grounds for a fault divorce, which may impinge on your child custody rights when the divorce is settled. Depending on your state, you may separate legally, then find you are paying the same fees twice when you divorce. Be sure to check the requirements of your home state for both separation and divorce before initiating either one. Your home state divorce law is easily available on recommended sites on the Internet.

You can be held responsible for your spouse's debts and legal problems, even tax liens, after separation. You may still be treated as a married couple with regard to pensions, annuities, life insurance, and social security benefits. You will need a separation agreement which is clear about all these issues.

In some states there is a very short time period before your divorce case goes to trial. Be sure you have the terms of your separation agreement completely agreed upon before you submit your divorce papers to court, or you will find yourself in the unpleasant position of having to negotiate key points with a deadline looming over you. Nerves can be strained and anger can flare if emotional issues are decided in a hurry.