St. Louis Area Legal Separation Lawyers
About Missouri Marital Separation Laws
Legal separation serves two main functions under Missouri's system of family laws. A couple may enter into a legal separation on a temporary basis to meet the living apart requirements for Missouri divorce when they cannot agree to divorce based on irreconcilable differences. A couple may choose to enter into a long-term legal separation if they want to stop living together and cut financial ties but do not wish — perhaps for moral or religious or parenting reasons — to get a formal divorce.
From our office in Clayton, the experienced divorce and legal separation attorneys at Jody Wolff & Associates represent both husbands and wives in legal separation and divorce actions. For 20 years, we have offered professional guidance and a calming atmosphere to individuals who are experiencing one of the most stressful periods of their lives.
Are Formal Documents Necessary for a Legal Separation?
Missouri divorce and legal separation laws do not require specific formal documentation of the beginning date of a legal separation. However, it is extremely wise to create a formal legal separation agreement, also sometimes called a marital separation agreement.
In a legal separation agreement, the separating spouses write down their agreements about children, money and property that will be in effect for the duration of the separation period. The separation agreement can answer questions such as:
- Who will live in the house?
- Who will pay the mortgage?
- What will we do about joint credit cards?
- Where will the children live?
- How much child support will one parent pay the other?
- Will one spouse pay alimony or spousal maintenance to the other?
Under Missouri law, either spouse can ask a family court judge to make rulings on the questions listed above if agreement and compromise are not possible. A legal separation hearing is much like a divorce trial. Similar testimony will be heard and the judge will make similar rulings. The main difference is that the rulings in a legal separation case may have an end date.
Contact Our St. Louis Area Family Law Attorneys
If you are considering legal separation and have questions about the best way to proceed, discuss your options with a skillful and compassionate lawyer. Contact Jody Wolff & Associates online or call 314-862-0505.
Jody Wolff & Associates
7710 Carondelet Avenue, Suite 105
Clayton, MO 63105-3319
Phone: 314-862-0505 ▪ Fax: 314-862-3005 ▪ Email
Jody Wolff & Associates, proudly serves the following communities Clayton, St. Louis, St. Charles, Town & Country, Ladue, Olivette, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Wildwood, Chesterfield, Ballwin, Manchester, St. Peters, Richmond Heights, Rock Hill, Florissant, Ferguson, Hazelwood, Bridgeton, Maryland Heights including St. Louis County and St. Charles County, Missouri.
