I’ve Separated… Now What?

So, you’ve made the decision – or been faced with it suddenly; and now you’re separated.

You’ve probably got some friends who have been through ‘good separations’ (as if that’s really a thing) and not so great separations. You’ve probably even got one or two friends who have had a really terrible and acrimonious separation, perhaps even through the court system.

While you might be asking yourself, Will my separation be one of the not so good ones? – it’s not usually helpful to compare your unique situation to others. And frankly, you can’t always tell whether it’ll be one of the messy ones straight away.

Relationships and emotions are complex.

There are so many things that they don’t teach you about relationships at school – which they should. Each relationship and its separation are different.

Ever heard that prevention is better than a cure? To be in the best place possible, and to give yourself the best chance of being in one of the ‘more straight forward’ separations your friends hear about – it is important to get advice early about things like:

1. What does the law consider to be property?
2. What arrangements would be in place for our kids if we can’t agree?
3. When do I lose the ability to seek some of my ex’s property?
4. How do I formalise the agreement we have reached, so its binding?
5. Was I considered to be in a defacto relationship with my ex?
6. Do I have an entitlement to some of my ex’s property?
7. If we can’t agree, do I have to try to mediate before going to Court?

Whether you do or don’t have kids, have a little property or not much, you should always get some advice about what you should do to protect yourself after a separation.