Separation is a status, not a court form. You are separated when the marital relationship has ended — even under the same roof. The legal work is deciding parenting, support and property before informal deals harden into problems.
Get advice before you move out, sign anything or agree to a schedule on a napkin. The free first 15 minutes exist for that conversation.
Day one — protect options, do not close them
Moving out, emptying accounts or withholding the children can all be explained later — or they can look like abandonment, dissipation or self-help. A short consultation before those steps is cheaper than undoing them.
Disclosure is the engine
A separation agreement without financial disclosure is the agreement most likely to be challenged later. Bank statements, tax returns, pension values and the matrimonial home — gather them early. Completeness is cheaper than a set-aside motion.
The agreement is the destination
Most of our family files end in a separation agreement, not a trial. Parenting, child support, spousal support and property are written once, with independent legal advice on both sides, then the divorce (if you want one) is paperwork.
When court is the right next step
Urgency, safety, a party who will not disclose, or a limitation period — those are court files. We say so plainly and prepare you; we do not start a proceeding because it feels dramatic.