Legal Question in Family Law in Vermont

Re: Legal Separation

Your state law might vary from Montana's, where I practice.

The procedure is similar to filing for a dissolution of marriage. You file a petition for legal separation. In the petition, you tell the court how you want the property and debts apportioned, and how you want the parenting plan to look. That's the in-a-nutshell version. Costs associated with it are the filing fee and your spouse's filing fee for the response, if s/he files one. If you have few assets, few debts, and no children, you might be okay doing it without help. (Notice I said "might.") In the long run, especially if you have children, usually it's money well spent to get legal advice.