A divorce can be a long and stressful process made even more challenging if you’re not familiar with the details of Ohio’s divorce laws. You may even find that a simple divorce doesn’t meet your needs. Perhaps you can benefit from other types of legal separations available in Ohio? You should familiarize yourself with the various options and laws in the Buckeye State.
LawInfo’s Ohio Divorce Law articles can help relieve some of the stress of the process. You’ll learn about the state’s divorce prerequisites, how property is divided and many other divorce topics. Whether you need assistance in Cincinnati, Cleveland or Columbus, LawInfo can help connect you with an Ohio divorce attorney.
A divorce or dissolution of a marriage are not the only ways a couple can legally separate in Ohio. Depending on the circumstances of the relationship, you and your partner may find staying legally married advantageous despite having grown apart and disconnected from one another. Or maybe your marriage should never have happened in the first place due to legal conflicts.
If you want to live apart from your spouse but remain legally married for religious, parenting or financial reasons, a legal separation may be the solution for you. A court will decide upon spousal support, parental responsibilities and rights and the division of marital property. A legal separation is often used by couples to attempt to mend their marriage before they commit to a divorce or dissolution.
You can attain an annulment if you want your marriage dissolved and treated as if it never occurred in the first place. Ohio law sets specific requirements to obtain an annulment in which one party must prove that the marriage was invalid. This usually means that the marriage proceeded against Ohio’s legal marriage requirements. The annulment may be granted if:
An Ohio court may order one spouse to pay spousal support (also known as alimony) to the other during and/or after the divorce process. Spousal support is intended to help the spouse who is the most financially impacted from the marriage, especially one who depended on the other spouse for income or child support due to a disability or lack of employment.
A spousal support order may be temporary or permanent—lasting as long as the divorce proceedings only or until the beneficiary’s death. The court calculates the amount and extent of spousal support by considering many different factors, including:
While divorce may be common, when you go through it yourself, you still deserve dedicated, personal focus on your rights and unique situation. An experienced divorce lawyer can help you figure out the best way forward, explain the law, and represent you in court if it is ever necessary. Take the first step now and contact a local divorce attorney to discuss your divorce.