North Carolina Separation / Pre-Nuptial Agreements: Costs, Benefits and FAQs

In order to get divorced in North Carolina, you must be separated for one year.  That’s a long time to have unresolved marital issues – how do you fix that?  With a properly drafted and fully comprehensive Separation Agreement. 

If you are getting married and want to decide how things will be handled in the event of Separation / Divorce, that can be done with a Pre-Nuptial Agreement.

There is no question that the best and most affordable way to resolve marital or pre-marital issues such as property division, spousal support, child custody, support & visitation, etc. is for you and your spouse / fiancé to work out something fair and reasonable and have that put into a formal written Separation or Pre-Nuptial Agreement.  For most couples, when you fight it out in Court – all you are really doing is paying strangers often quite a lot of money to decide things for you that you and your spouse / fiancé could have decided yourselves for free or at relative low cost.

A properly drafted  Separation or Pre-Nuptial Agreement can also keep overall costs down.  For an average couple, we can draft a fully comprehensive Separation or Pre-Nuptial Agreement for a flat rate fee starting at $295.  There are a lot of details and options in a Separation and Pre-Nuptial Agreements that we will need to help guide you through, so you will need to call us M-F 9am to 5pm at: (910) 333-9679 and select option 1 to set up a consultation or use the calendar below to schedule the consultation yourself.  There is a $100 consultation fee but that will be applied to your quoted fee if you decide to have us complete your Agreement.

Please carefully fill out the Separation / Pre-Nuptial Interview Form below to provide us the basic information we will need to draft your Agreement and make the consultation quicker and more efficient.  If you have questions – see our FAQ section below the Interview Form.

Please Note:  A Separation or Pre-Nuptial Agreement is just that – an ‘agreement’.  It is very important that BEFORE you hire us to draft a Separation  or pre-Nuptial Agreement, that you have actually discussed it with your spouse / fiancé first. If your spouse / fiancé is not in agreement with you, there is no way to legally compel your spouse / fiancé to sign an Agreement.  If your spouse / fiancé refuses to sign the Agreement, you may end up paying for a totally useless document!

Separation / Pre-Nuptial Agreement Interview Form

This form will provide us with the basic information needed to begin a draft of your Separation or Pre-Nuptial Agreement. However, there are lots of options and custom choices available so we will need to set up either an in person or phone appointment directly with the attorney to gather the remaining details and options to personalized the Agreement for you and you spouse / fiancé.

Separation and Pre-Nuptials Agreements contain similiar information the main difference between the two is Separation Agreements are done after you get married and Pre-Nuptial Agreements are done before you get married. Select which Agreement you would like information for below: * Required Field

Separation Agreement

Pre-Nuptial Agreement

Enter Your FULL Legal Name (First, Middle, Last, Any Suffix) * Required Field

Enter The COUNTY You Live In - NOTE: this is county NOT country - DO NOT put USA or NC * Required Field

Enter Your FULL Address * Required Field

Enter Your FULL Address

Street Address

Street Address

Additional Address Info (Suite Apt., etc.)

Additional Address Info (Suite Apt., etc.)

City

City

State/Province

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Zip/Postal

Country AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCôte d'IvoireCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Country

E-mail address * Required Field

Your e-mail address will not be sold, shared or used for any purpose outside our law firm.

Phone - this is Optional

If Separating Enter Your Date of Marriage. If Getting Married Enter Proposed Date Of Marriage * Required Field

Enter The City, County and State You Were Married In or Where You Plan To Get Married * Required Field

Are You Currently Separated? (Not living together in the same residence) * Required Field

No

Yes

If Separated Enter Your Date of Separation or If Getting Married Enter the Date You Plan To Live Together (NOTE: If you are not separated or are already living together - leave blank).

Enter Your Spouse's or Fiance's FULL Legal Name (First, Middle, Last, Any Suffix) * Required Field

Enter Your Spouse's or Fiance's FULL Address * Required Field

Enter Your Spouse's or Fiance's FULL Address

Enter Your Spouse's or Fiance's FULL Address

Enter Your Spouse's or Fiance's FULL Address

City

City

State/Province

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Zip/Postal

Country AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCôte d'IvoireCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Country

Enter The COUNTY your Spouse or Fiance Resides In - NOTE: this is county NOT country - DO NOT put USA or NC * Required Field

If your spouse resides in Louisiana, enter the PARRISH.

Do Either Of You Own Real Property Together or Separately (House or Land)? * Required Field

No

Yes

If you own real property, the information we will need for the consultation is the address or location and who is on the deed and mortgage (if any).

Do Either Of You Have Personal Property Together or Separately (including Vehicles) that needs to be Divided or Protected? * Required Field

No

Yes

If you have Personal Property, just make a list and indicate who gets what. For vehicles, we will need the Make, Model and Year and who is on the title and loan (if any).

If Separating Do You Have Children that need Custody, Support, Visitation and / or Other Child Related Issues to be Established? * Required Field

No

Yes

There are a lot of options here. It is best to just have a rough idea of how to may want things worked out and we will discuss this in more detail at the consultation, lay out all your options and help you choose if necessary..

Enter the Full Names and Birth Dates of Any Children

This applies to children born or adopted by either party.

Do You Intend to Pay or Receive Spousal Support or Alimony? * Required Field

No, we want to Waive Spousal Support / Alimony

Yes

This is usually the most disputed area. We will help guide you through this during your consultation.

Do Either Of YouYou Have Financial Assets / Issues? (check all that apply) * Required Field

None

Retirement Accounts

Debts to be Divided

Insurance of Any Kind

Taxes

OtherOther

Making a list of accounts usually works best. We will need account information, names on the accounts and current values or approximations.

Please List Any Additional Comments, Concerns or Questions You May Have Here

If you are human, leave this field blank.

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* Click the Submit Button above one time.  If done correctly, you will be taken to a  confirmation page.  If not – check to make sure you filled out all required fields.

This scheduling calendar is for Separation / Pre-Nuptial Agreement Consultations only. If you have a different type of legal matter use the appropriate scheduling calendar or call us at: (910) 333-9679.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Do I have to have a Separation Agreement?

No.  It is not a requirement and may not even be something you need.  Often if you have no children or real property (house / land) and are satisfied with how your personal property has been divided – you may not need a Separation Agreement.

• Do I need a Separation Agreement to be ‘legally separated’?

No.  In North Carolina, all that is required to be separated is living in separate residences and at least one of you has the intention not to resume the marital relationship.  Meet those two simple requirements and you are as ‘legally separated’ as you ever will be whether you have a formal written agreement or not.

• What are some of the things that would be in a Separation Agreement?

Most any marital issue you have can be resolved with a Separation Agreement but the most common issues are child related issues like child custody, visitation and support, property division (who gets what personal property / real property), spousal support / alimony and issues of taxes, retirement, insurance and division of financial assets and debts.

• What are the Pros and Cons of Incorporating my Separation Agreement into my divorce judgment?

A Separation Agreement is a private contract.  Incorporation transforms your Separation Agreement into a Court Order.  It also makes it a public record.  This means it is usually easier and quicker to enforce and the penalty for violating a court order can be more severe than for merely breaching a contract.  So incorporation may be a good idea for you or it may not.  If you have a Separation Agreement, we will need to review it to advise you.