If your marriage has reached the point where you and your spouse are considering adopting separate living arrangements, you may be wondering whether you should get a legal separation or a divorce. The best way to make your decision is to learn about each option and consult a skilled divorce lawyer with any questions or concerns. Learn more about both options by reading below.

Legal Separation

In a legal separation, you will remain married to your spouse but agree to live separate lives. The separation is legal and involves the negotiation of spousal payments, child support, custody, and division of property, just as a divorce does. Hiring a divorce lawyer is prudent to help negotiate these financial matters.

There are also big ways in which legal separation differs from divorce. For example, because the marriage agreement remains intact, you are not free to remarry when separated. You and your spouse also retain the rights to inherit from one another. Another important consideration is that any child born to the married woman is legally considered the child of her husband—unless it is proven otherwise.

Divorce

Divorce is a more final solution to the dissolution of a marriage. After a divorce, you and your spouse will no longer be married. Unlike a legal separation, this action is not reversible, and you must marry each other a second time if you reconcile. In the event of a divorce, you will move forward in life as a single person and be free to remarry. You also give up all inheritance rights and other legal ties associated with the marriage bond. The same financial and parental negotiations are necessary for a divorce as a legal separation.

If you and your spouse are considering a divorce or legal separation, contact the talented divorce lawyers at Ibold & O’Brien in Chardon, OH. This full-service law firm has been serving clients throughout Geauga and Ashtabula counties since 1980. The attorneys at the firm have decades of experience in several kinds of law, including personal injury and criminal defense, making them excellent choices when you need a divorce lawyer. Schedule your first consultation today by calling (440) 285-3511, or learn more about the practice’s legal services on their website.