Let's Talk About Common Law Marriage
The California Wrongful Death statute creates a legal claim when someone dies at the hands of a negligent, reckless, or intentional tort or a dangerous or defective product. Such incidents include...more
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to unite and support victims and survivors of abuse. New Jersey has one of the strongest Domestic Violence laws in the United States. It offers victims of domestic violence...more
You may have heard of common law marriage or you may know someone who refers to another as their “common law spouse,” their “common law wife,” or their “common law husband.” But what exactly is it and what does it mean?...more
Common law marriage is one of Pennsylvania’s most confusing legal topics. Does common law marriage still exist? If you are common law married, what are the proceedings to get a divorce? Family law partner Lawrence J. "Skip"...more
In a divorce, the judge will have to divide your marital property and debts between the spouses. The division must be “just and equitable” under the circumstances of the relationship. But can an unmarried couples receive a...more
The real estate market in Seattle is notoriously expensive and competitive and everyone seems to be looking for more space as we enter the second year of a pandemic. There is also a rise in nontraditional partners buying...more
Oklahoma remains one of about only a dozen states that recognize common law marriages. Despite the Legislature’s sporadic attempts to effectively abolish such marriages, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has recently determined in...more
Hong Kong’s top court has confirmed that the status of same-sex couples who have entered civil partnerships overseas is to be recognised when considering the grant of dependent visas. In QT v. Director of Immigration (FACV...more
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark marriage-equality decision this summer (Obergefell v. Hodges), we now have full equality between same-sex and opposite-sex spouses under federal and state law. That decision affects...more
How do domestic partnership agreements (DPAs) and prenuptial or premarital agreements differ? Marriage contracts between two people who plan to marry are prenuptial agreements or antenuptial agreements. Marriage...more
In our July 2, 2015 blog, Obergefell v. Hodges – Same-Sex Marriage Now Legal in All 50 States, we indicated that employers may need to offer same-sex spouse health and welfare benefits and rethink domestic partner benefits in...more
This is the fifth installment of a seven-part series. Florida law provides for various death benefits if a married person predeceases his or her spouse and they have no premarital or postnuptial agreement. For unmarried...more
This is the fourth installment of a seven-part series. Florida law generally provides, when there is no premarital agreement, a marrying person’s right to alimony depends on the person’s need for alimony and the other...more
The decision by the United States Supreme Court on same-sex marriage has been greeted with praise and disdain by different corners of the country. The faith-based community has been especially outspoken. This is not...more
Domestic partnership agreements should list or include an attached schedule of each party’s separate property. If the parties agree, the agreement should protect ownership of property and interests in trusts as separate...more
Partners may acquire a home together, and they may contribute different amounts toward the purchase price. During their relationship, they may contribute different amounts toward improvements, the mortgage, insurance, and...more
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S.Ct. 1039 (June 26, 2015),answered definitively the lingering questions following the Court’s decision last year in Windsor about whether states could...more