Divorce VS. Legal Separation – Pros and Cons

Just had a huge fight and separated with your significant other? It has been happening for quite some time now and finally you have had enough. However, you are still not sure if you want to file for divorce.

In such a situation you can opt for legal separation. Legal separation is quite similar to divorce but there is one major difference between the two; people can still be married while they are legally separated.

Let’s take an in depth look at both divorce and legal separation and their pros and cons:

Legal Separation

The term legal separation often refers to judicial separation. It involves a separation order that is issued by the court. It results in the end of marital obligations and subsequently leads to division of assets.

Usually family solicitors recommend their clients to avoid going for this option. According to them, this option should only be undertaken in extreme cases.

Legal separation agreement is a more common type of legal separation. It’s actually a contract between the two parties and establishes financial deals and arrangements after the separation.

The benefits of legal separation are that the parties remain married and there’s a possibility that after some time they will reconcile.

Furthermore, the couple has already decided how they plan to divide their assets; therefore, there aren’t any conflicts regarding the division of assets.

Divorce

Divorce is an agreement between the couple that they plan to split. In United Kingdom, that only happens if the couple has been together for more than a year. Furthermore, you also need to have a legal reason for divorce.

Divorce is the right choice for you if you feel that your relationship with your spouse has reached to a point of no return. In such cases, the two parties will divide the assets and will have no financial obligations towards one another.

However, the benefit of divorce is then your relationship will completely end after the proceedings and you will be able to move on with your life. There will be no scope for renegotiations and the decisions taken by the court will be final.

Confused about whether you should go for divorce or legal separation? Get in touch with us. We have a team of divorce solicitors in UK. We can also help with judicial separations. Contact us now at 020-3417-3700 for details.