What Is the Meaning of a Legal Separation?
Legal separation is an arrangement between a married couple that is distinct from divorce or trial separation. It does not go as far as divorce in dissolving their legal union, but has the added recognition of a court, and its attendant stipulations, that trial separation lacks. Legal separation is relatively rare, because couples looking for a cooling-off period that could potentially lead to being reunited generally opt for trial separation, while the vast majority looking to terminate their union choose divorce.
