Separation and Divorce are not primarily legal issues-- property division, support and custody issues are generally problems because of mutual anger and distrust, not because of the complexities of the law--You can't guarantee that things will go well, but if you start things off the way that many lawyers do, by grabbing assets, by changing locks, by leaving town with the kids, and by using the service of legal papers as an opportunity to embarass and humiliate, then you can assure that there will be long, unpleasant, and expensive battles.