What is the difference between a dissolution of marriage, an annulment, and a legal separation?
A dissolution of marriage requires the court to find that the marriage is irretrievably broken, meaning it’s over and you are not planning to reunite with your spouse under any circumstances. A legal separation requires that the court find that the marriage is not irretrievably broken, meaning there is some possibility that you and your spouse may actually reunite. Legal separations are used if a couple does not want to get a dissolution of their marriage for religious or moral reasons, or, it is often used if one spouse has deserted the other and the spouse who has been left behind does not want to be divorced but requires the financial support of the spouse who has left. A legal separation requires the same paperwork and same time line as a dissolution of marriage, and through a legal separation the court will still divide all property and award alimony and child support where proper. However, under legal separation, one spouse can still medically insure the other under their health
