Flint, Michigan, Legal Separation ◦ Contact a Family Law Attorney
Are you in need of the security that a divorce can offer you ― but you believe you cannot or will not consider a divorce? Although there is no such thing as a "temporary separation," legally speaking, in Michigan, there is legal separation, otherwise known as "separate maintenance." Contact Charles D. Riley, Attorney at Law, to schedule a consultation regarding the requirements and processes for a legal separation in Michigan.
With a separate maintenance order, the same issues that a divorce covers will be determined with a legally binding document, including the following:
- Property division
- Debt division
- Child custody
- Child support
- Spousal support
However, you will remain married. Couples have varying reasons for seeking a separate maintenance agreement rather than a divorce, such as the following:
- Religious reasons: A Catholic or otherwise religious person or couple may believe that divorce is out of the question.
- Insurance reasons: A dependent spouse may need to stay covered on the other spouse's employer-provided health insurance. Note: Be sure to contact the insurance company to verify that coverage continues in spite of a legal separation.
- Social Security reasons: A couple must be married for 10 years or more for the dependent spouse to qualify under the wage-earning spouse's Social Security. Some couples wish to stay married long enough to fulfill this requirement, but need financial and legal clarification to go on with their lives as they live separately.
- Personal reasons: A couple may hope to work out difficult marital problems over time, but in the meantime, need to divide property, debt and parenting time through a separate maintenance agreement.
The law office of Charles D. Riley, Attorney at Law, in Flint, Michigan, is one of the few law firms in the area that offers free initial consultations in all practice areas. Call or e-mail us to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation meeting with a lawyer to discuss legal separation and separate maintenance for your Michigan marriage.
