Relationship Contracts

Relationship agreements are gaining popularity as our world grows and more individuals find independence. As such, more now than ever before, couples are constructing plans to ensure protection and fair distribution of assets if their relationship were to ever end. It’s not about planning for a break-up but more about ensuring the couple has clear communication and expectations for the relationship.

There are several types of relationship agreements that can be entered:

1. Pre-marital (aka prenuptial) Agreements – this is where a couple creates an agreement prior to getting married. This agreement will address what property is “separate property” and what property will be “joint property.” It is important to have an attorney for each individual in this case to ensure enforceability in the future. Our attorney, Audrey Stone, has experience helping couples get crystal clear on what their intentions are with marriage and how to communicate effectively about property being brought into the marriage.
2. Post-marital (aka postnuptial) Agreements – this is where a couple creates an agreement while married to discuss what a divorce or separation may look like. This may sound counter intuitive, but it’s an advisable step for some couples that are bringing a large asset into the marriage or for couples that are experiencing a separation and want to address property ahead of the emotional experience of divorce.
3. Cohabitation/ Domestic Partnership Agreements – more and more often couples are consciously deciding to remain unmarried despite living together and/or holding themselves out as married. This can get complicated when the couple purchases property together. The Cohabitation / Domestic Partnership Agreement will help address what will occur if the relationship were to ever end. There would be no divorce since the couple is unmarried, so this agreement will help guide the couple through dividing property that was purchased together at one time.