How Is Legal Separation Different From Divorce?
Divorce is not the only option for married couples that do not want to stay together. In Michigan, legal separation is an option that may make sense for many people. It may make sense for insurance reasons or for religious reasons.
An experienced lawyer will help you understand all of your options, weighing the strengths and weaknesses of both divorce and legal separation. At the law offices of Marrs & Terry, PLLC, we will take great care to help you determine whether legal separation makes sense for you and your spouse. If it does, you can be confident that we will guide you down this path with great care. Contact our law firm online or call 734-663-0555.
Keep Your Health Insurance Benefits With Legal Separation
From a legal standpoint, one of the benefits of marriage is that it allows one spouse to be covered under the other’s employer-provided health insurance. Once divorced, the spouse is no longer eligible to receive insurance coverage, although children certainly still can. This can be problematic for many reasons, particularly if the spouse is not employed or is just entering the workforce. Legal separation may allow insurance coverage to continue.
Separation Can Make The Transition To Divorce Easier
Legal separation carries most of the hallmarks of divorce — as does a separate maintenance agreement, which is a similar concept and also an option to consider. It comes with a separation settlement to address property, as well as agreements about child custody, child support and spousal support. The spouses are still married, although no longer legally together.
If, later on, divorce becomes necessary, this will be a fairly straightforward process because all agreements are already in place.
Contact Our Family Law Advocates To Learn More About Separation
If you would like to learn more about the difference between separation and divorce, contact us online or call 734-663-0555 to discuss your situation with our experienced Ann Arbor legal separation attorneys.