Divorce Glossary

Alimony – Alimony is spousal support ordered by a divorce court.

Divisible divorce – Divisible divorces are often used when one of the spouses wants to remarry before the child support and asset divisions have been worked out. The judge grants the divorce and then later determines the property and support rights of the divorcing parties.

Divorce – Divorce is the legal procedure terminating a marriage.

Divorce lawyer – An attorney who serves as the legal advocate of an individual involved in a divorce or family law case.

Fault divorce – With a fault divorce, the spouse who filed for divorce must prove that the other spouse was guilty of specific wrongful conduct such as cruelty or adultery before a divorce will be granted.

Irreconcilable differences – No-fault divorces often state "irreconcilable differences" as the grounds for divorce. This means that the two parties have differences between themselves that they cannot reconcile.

Legal separation – Legal separation is a proceeding overseen by a judge where the spouses remain legally married but live separately. There is no provision for legal separation in Texas.

Marital settlement agreement – A marital settlement agreement provides for division of property, support obligations, child custody and visitation, and other agreements involved in the divorce.

No fault divorce – With a no-fault divorce, the person filing for divorce does not have to prove that the other spouse was at fault.