A legal separation in Arizona is obtained in the same manner as a divorce. In both cases, an initial petition is filed with the Superior Court. The petition is served on the other spouse, and the parties either submit a settlement agreement resolving all of the issues in the case, or the issues are presented to the court at a trial, after which, the judge issues final orders resolving the issues in the case. The procedural steps in an Arizona legal separation case are identical to the steps necessary to complete a divorce.