SEPARATION

North Carolina Separation Agreements

In order to get divorced in North Carolina, you must be physically separated (not living together in the same residence) for at least one year.  That’s a long time to have unresolved marital issues – how do you fix that?  Smart couples who want to save money and make things as easy as possible do it with a properly drafted formal written Separation Agreement. 

There is no question that the best way to resolve marital issues such as property division, spousal support / alimony, child custody, support & visitation, etc. is for you and your spouse to work out something fair and reasonable and have that put into a formal written Separation Agreement.  For most folks, when you fight it out in Court – all you are really doing is paying strangers often quite a lot of money to decide things for you that you and your spouse could have decided yourselves for free or at very low cost with the guidance of an attorney with your best interest in mind.

A properly drafted  Separation Agreement can also keep overall costs down.  For an average couple, we can draft a fully comprehensive Separation Agreement for a flat rate fee starting at $295.  There are a lot of details and options in a Separation Agreement that we will need to help guide you through, so you will need to call us M – F 9 am to 5 pm at (910) 333-9679 and select option 2 to set up a consultation or use the scheduling calendar below the Interview Form to schedule the consultation yourself.  There is a $100 consultation fee but that will be applied to your quoted fee if you decide to have us complete your Separation Agreement.

To speed things up, you can fill out the Separation Agreement Interview Form below to provide us the basic information we will need to draft your agreement and make the consultation more efficient.  If you have questions – see our FAQ section below at the end of the Interview Form.

Please Note:  A Separation Agreement is just that – an ‘agreement’.  It is very important that BEFORE you hire us to draft a Separation Agreement, that you have actually discussed it with your spouse first. If your spouse is not in agreement with you, there is no way to legally compel your spouse to sign a Separation Agreement.  If your spouse refuses to sign the Agreement, you may end up paying for a totally useless document!

Separation Agreement Interview Form

This form will provide us with the basic information needed to begin a draft of your Separation Agreement. However, there are lots of options and custom choices available so we will need to set up either an in person or phone appointment to gather the remaining details and options to personalized the Agreement for you and you spouse.

YOUR FIRST NAME * Required Field

YOUR MIDDLE NAME(s) If you have no middle name - please enter NMN * Required Field

YOUR LAST NAME * Required Field

We must have your CURRENT FULL LEGAL NAME in the fields above.

Enter The COUNTY You Live In - (this is NOT Country - DO NOT put USA or NC) * Required Field

Enter your FULL Mailing Address * Required Field

Enter your FULL Mailing Address

Enter your FULL Mailing Address

Enter your FULL Mailing Address

City

City

State/Province

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Zip/Postal

Country AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCôte d'IvoireCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Country

E-mail address * Required Field

Your e-mail address will not be sold, shared or used for any purpose outside our law firm.

Phone - this is Optional

If you do not want to leave your phone number - just leave blank.

Enter Your Date of Marriage * Required Field

Enter The City, County and State You Were Married In * Required Field

Are You Currently Separated? (Not living together in the same residence) * required Field

No

Yes

Enter Your Date of Separation (Note: If you are not yet separated, leave blank)

Enter the Full Names and Birth Dates of Any Children Born or Adopted During the Marriage

Enter Your Spouse's FULL Legal Name (First, Middle, Last, Any Suffix) * Required Field

Enter Your Spouse's FULL Address * Required Field

Enter Your Spouse's FULL Address

Enter Your Spouse's FULL Address

Enter Your Spouse's FULL Address

City

City

State/Province

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Zip/Postal

Country AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCôte d'IvoireCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Country

Enter The COUNTY your Spouse Resides In - (this is NOT Country - DO NOT put USA or NC) * Required Field

If your spouse resides in Louisiana, enter the PARRISH.

Do You Have Personal Property (including Vehicles) that needs to be Divided? * Required Field

No

Yes

If you have Personal Property, just make a list and indicate who gets what. For vehicles, we will need the Make, Model and Year and who is on the title and loan (if any).

Do You Have Children that need Custody, Support or Visitation to be Established? * Required Field

No

Yes

There are a lot of options here. It is best to just have a rough idea of how to may want things worked out and we will discuss this in more detail at the consultation, lay out all your options and help you choose if necessary..

Do You Intend to Pay or Receive Spousal Support or Alimony? * Required Field

No, we want to Waive Spousal Support / Alimony

Yes

This is usually the most disputed area. We will help guide you through this.

Do You Have Financial Issues? (check all that apply) * Required Field

None

Retirement Accounts

Debts to be Divided

Insurance of Any Kind

Taxes

OtherOther

Making a list of accounts usually works best. We will need account information, names on the accounts and current values or approximations.

Please List Any Additional Comments, Concerns or Questions You May Have Here

If you are human, leave this field blank.

Δ

* Click the Submit Button above one time.  If done correctly, you will be taken to a  confirmation page.  If not – check to make sure you filled out all required fields.

This scheduling calendar is for Separation Agreement Consultations only. If you have a different type of legal matter use the appropriate scheduling calendar or call us at (910) 333-9679.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Do I have to have a Separation Agreement?

No.  It is not a requirement and may not even be something you need.  Often if you have no children, no real property and are satisfied with how your personal property has been divided – you may not need a Separation Agreement.

• Do I need a Separation Agreement to be ‘legally separated’?

No.  In North Carolina, all that is required to be separated is living in separate residences and at least one of you has the intention not to resume the marital relationship.  Meet those two simple requirements and you are as ‘legally separated’ as you ever will be whether you have a formal written agreement or not.

• What are some of the things that would be in a Separation Agreement?

Most any marital issue you have can be resolved with a Separation Agreement but the most common issues are child related issues like child custody, visitation and support, property division (who gets what personal property / real property), spousal support / alimony and issues of taxes, retirement, insurance and division of financial accounts and debts.

• What are the Pros and Cons of Incorporating my Separation Agreement into my divorce judgment?

A Separation Agreement is a private contract.  Incorporation transforms your Separation Agreement into a Court Order.  It also makes it a public record.  This means it is easier to enforce and the penalty for violating a court order can be more sever than breaching a mere contract.  So incorporation may be a good idea for you or it may not.  If you have a Separation Agreement, we will need to review it to advise you.