Legal Separation

Fresno County, California, Legal Separation Attorneys

When a couple has decided to end their marriage, a divorce is not always the end result. For a variety of reasons, many spouses seek a legal separation, which keeps them married in name only. At Lerandeau & Lerandeau, Attorneys at Law, in Fresno, California, we assist clients with all aspects of this alternative to marriage dissolution.

Legal Separation vs. Divorce

Couples file legal separations for a variety of reasons. Observing a religion that disapproves of divorce and keeping a spouse on a health care plan are most common. The proceedings are similar to a divorce in that legal separation also involves issues related to child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, and division of marital assets. After a court enters a judgment, there is no future community property and no obligation for financial support except what is ordered by the court.

Handling Your Legal Separation Case

Our responsibility at Lerandeau & Lerandeau, Attorneys at Law, is to ensure that the State of California has jurisdiction over your legal separation and that we file your case in the proper county. Once we have determined those important factors, we will file the necessary paperwork, similar to what we would do in a divorce.

Custody and support issues will be determined through either mediation or a court order. Even though a legal separation is not technically a divorce, we still encourage our clients to mediate the legal separation and not put the decision in a judge's hands.

Filing a legal separation does not prevent you from eventually divorcing your spouse. If you should decide to divorce at some point in the future, we can help you with filing a modification to formally terminate the marriage.

Contact Us

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with an experienced lawyer regarding a legal separation, please contact us.