Legal Separation Advice

If your relationship with your partner ends and you cannot agree on responsibility for children, or ownership of housing, property or money, you may want to consider legal separation.

You can apply for legal separation whether or not you are married.

The process of legal separation is similar to divorce, but it allows a married couple to separate and stop living together while remaining legally married.

To be legally separated you will need a written agreement called a separation agreement to settle financial arrangements, such as deciding who will pay bills or own property and whether financial support (maintenance) should be provided to one partner to support any children.

Examples of points you may include in such an agreement are:

• not to molest, annoy or disturb your partner

• to provide financial support (maintenance) for your partner. There is no legal duty for one of you to financially support the other if you're not married or in a civil partnership

• to provide financial support (maintenance) for any children involved in the relationship

• who the children should live with and have contact with when you stop living together (read more about child custody and contact).

You should always consult a lawyer when drawing up a separation agreement.

We Talk Law’s practising family lawyers can provide the legal separation advice you need, and help you with any questions or problems you have relating to Family and Matrimonial Law. Call us on 0203 002 4898 today for your free assessment.