Separation agreement vs court order — confused

Thank you for writing this. I thought I was the only one. I went through almost exactly this last year. Happy to share what helped if you want to DM.

honestly the free family duty counsel at the courthouse untangled this for me in twenty minutes. also worth checking whether you qualify with legal aid bc.

don't sign an agreement without independent legal advice, lots of family lawyers around here do a flat-fee review. mine caught two things i'd never have noticed.

i was confused by this too. what finally clicked for me: the agreement was the deal we wrote ourselves, the order was when a judge made parts of it official. one meeting with a lawyer sorted it.

Short version: a separation agreement is a contract you both sign, a court order is imposed or approved by a judge. In BC a properly executed agreement can be filed and enforced much like an order. General information only, your situation may have wrinkles worth a consult.

whichever route you take, get full financial disclosure done properly before signing anything. i rushed that part and it cost me a redo.

my two cents from the other side of it: we did an agreement through mediation and never saw a courtroom. cheaper, faster, way less scarring.