I've seen people on this site mention separation agreements.<P>I have a few questions about them. <P>Are these verbal or written agreements?<P>If written, is there someplace online I can find a copy of one?<P>Are there provisions for financial, property, custody issues?<P>Is the agreement binding?<P>Any other info would be appreciated.<P>sad dad<P>

Ahhhh. The separation agreement. I am currently under one with my wife. The short and skinny - the take care of everything but the divorce. It is typically a legal agreement between the spouses and it settles property, debt, custody, child support, alimony and anything you two feel is pertinent. My wife and I drew up our thoughts and then had her attorney draft it and my attorney review it. If you can settle it all between yourselves, then you can have an attorney finalize the draft and you all sign it for about 500. It is an agreement between yourself and your spouse. You must sue in a civil court for any breach. It is not a divorce, but typically contains language to have itself incorporated into any divorce decree. You will need to check with an attorney of course. Ours went pretty well and quick. If I am not mistaken however, should someone chose to file for divorce, all of those issues can be brought back up, changed, etc. Be careful. The key is to minimize the amount of time you use the attorneys. The agreement IS binding between you and your spouse and only you two.<P>I dont like mine completely, so if divorce comes next June, you can be your butt I will have some changes.<P>Remember, I am not an attorney and dont pretend to know much. State laws are different so check with an attorney in your state.<P>here is a link I used:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.divorcesource.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.divorcesource.com</A> <P>Good Luck and i am hear if you have other questions