How is legal separation different from a divorce?
A legal separation follows the same process as a divorce except at the end of the process you have what is called a limited dissolution of your marriage and you are not free to remarry at the conclusion. Often people get legal separations for religious reasons or due to financial reasons. In a legal separation, provisions are made either by agreement or order for distribution of your property as well as for your children, who they will live with, when they will see the other parent, whether child support will be paid and how much, etc. If in the legal separation process, you and your spouse are able to agree on everything then your agreement will be memorialized on paper and is usually called a Permanent Stipulation. If you can agree on everything you will have what is called an uncontested final hearing and your legal separation will be effective the same day. If you cannot agree then the court must decide those areas that you and your spouse cannot agree on. This usually requires the
