A settlement agreement or separation agreement is a powerful tool for you and your spouse to take control of your divorce. It gives you the opportunity to create a road map out of your marriage, one that both the court and you will be able to follow. This can save you time, money and a great deal of headaches.
A settlement or separation agreement lists in detail the terms and conditions of your divorce. Creating this agreement can take time and work – especially when you have a lot of factors to consider. However, once you have everything mapped out you can present the settlement or separation agreement to the court in order to prove your commitment to a no-contest divorce. This can put your divorce on the fast track to completion and let you move on with your life as quickly as possible.
The settlement or separation agreement will list in detail how you and your spouse will divide up your property, assets and debts. It will explain any support provided by either party and it will contain any other issues that both parties want to be legally binding after the divorce. If the agreement is accepted by the court it will become binding and will be enforced using the power of the court.
When you want your divorce to be as cheap and painless as possible, you and your spouse should consider a settlement or separation agreement. The greatest expenses of a divorce are related to disagreements over the terms of a divorce. Couples that cannot agree to property division, child custody or support issues can spend months and even years fighting in court – and paying the lawyer fees that come with the fight.
With a settlement or separation agreement, you bypass all of this pain and expense. You take matters into your own hands and create an agreement that both you and your spouse are happy with. This means you are more likely to adhere to the agreement and that you do not have to engage in costly legal battles to end your marriage. The state of Florida prefers settlement or separation agreements over contested divorces for a reason. They are a better, simpler way of resolving differences and lead to cleaner divorces.
