If you and your spouse are unhappy in your marriage, you might be considering getting separated. If this is something that the two of you have in mind, you should consider hiring an attorney. Although not all married individuals seek legal representation when getting separated, it is something you may want to do for these main reasons.

Establish a Legal Separation

Depending on the laws in your state, you and your spouse might be required to be legally separated for a certain period before you can file for a divorce. 

If you feel pretty certain that you and your spouse will be going through with getting a divorce, then you may want to get the process over with as quickly as possible and with as few issues as possible. Working with an attorney and filing the appropriate legal paperwork now can help you ensure that you are fully prepared to get a divorce when your legal separation period ends. To learn more about divorce law, contact an attorney.

Get Help With Resources

If you are going through a legal separation, you might be looking for different kinds of help. You and your spouse might be willing to work on your marriage, and you might be looking for resources for marriage counseling. You or your kids might be looking for counseling resources to help you through these hard times, or you might be looking for outside help if you are a domestic violence victim.

Many divorce attorneys know about local resources for these types of support, so while your attorney is helping you with the legal aspects of your case, they may provide you with helpful resources, too.

Make Temporary Arrangements

You may assume that arrangements about things like child custody, division of marital assets and other similar matters will be handled when your divorce is finalized.

However, some temporary arrangements may need to be made. For example, you may need to work out some type of custody agreement for your kids, or you may need to make a determination of who will remain in the marital home for the next few months and who will need to make other living arrangements. An attorney can help you with drawing up a temporary legal agreement that will help you make arrangements during this time. Then, when you are ready to file your final divorce papers, your attorney can help with the final agreement.

When going through a separation, work with a divorce attorney. This can help you handle this difficult situation in the best way possible.