Divorce Or Legal Separation? Papillion Lawyer Helps Couples Choose How To Split

Two options exist for legally untangling a marriage in Papillion: divorce and legal separation. Vacanti Shattuck Finocchiaro Attorneys will help you choose the right one.

Papillion is a delightful Nebraska city, county seat of Sarpy County, and like too many of the marriages in both, is split right down the middle. It is divided by the creek that gave the town its name, chosen long ago by the French for the butterflies that fluttered on its banks.

Every marriage is like the three bridges connecting one side of the city to the other, creating legal, financial, and parental bonds between two spouses. But if your marriage is falling apart, you cannot just walk away; those bonds need to be dismantled. Just as you wouldn’t try to pull down a bridge without the help of an engineer, a lawyer is needed when you are ready to pry your lives apart again.

One of the many reasons you will need a legal expert is to ensure you choose the right path for ending this phase of your life and marriage. This is because, in Nebraska, divorce is not the only option. You can also pursue a legal separation, which is similar, but certainly not identical, to a divorce. The divorce and separation lawyers at Vacanti Shattuck Finocchiaro Attorneys will help you figure out which to pursue.

Papillion Lawyers Break Down Differences Between Legal Separation And Divorce

To pursue our Papillion Creek bridges metaphor, getting a legal separation instead of a divorce would be a lot like dismantling two of the bridges instead of all three. This is because a legal separation, unlike a divorce, leaves the marriage (at least on paper) intact while allowing you to live apart with distinct lives.

Both a divorce and a legal separation require you and your spouse to sit down and

• File a complaint with the court in Sarpy County (though the paperwork is different)
• Divide your assets, property, and debts equitably between you.
• Agree on primary or shared custody arrangements for any minor children.
• Work out visitation schedules and agreements to ensure those children have time with both parents.
• Have child support and spousal support (alimony) amounts worked out.

In both cases, if you can agree on all of the above, the terms can be formalized into a decree of dissolution or legal separation to be reviewed by an attorney for fairness. Once the final settlement documents are signed by all parties, you can present the agreement to the court and have a judge officially declare you divorced or separated, according to the terms of the agreement.

This means that you can officially and legally live separate lives, but only with the divorce is your marriage actually dissolved. This offers a number of different advantages and disadvantages our lawyers will help you analyze and choose between.