LGBTQ FAMILIES
Let's Face It
If you and your partner are in a committed relationship but not married, for legal purposes, you’re still just roommates, unfortunately. However, the good news is that you can have the same legal protection of marriage with proper planning.
Even if you’re married and have the benefit of legal protection that comes with marriage, you still need extra planning.
If You’re in a Committed Relationship, But Not Married
If you aren’t legally married, you’ll need to decide how you want your legal life to look in light of your relationship because the sad truth is that your partner is a legal stranger to you.
If you want your partner to make medical decisions for you, inherit some or all of your assets, decide how to utilize your resources if you’re incapacitated, have the ability to visit you in the hospital, and decide how to honor you at your death, you must document your wishes.
If you do not, your family of origin stands in priority to your partner and will have the say in all these aspects of your life.
To make sure your partner has the ability to take care of your financial, medical, and family affairs if something happens to you (and can inherit from you), you MUST set up a comprehensive estate plan, not just a Will.
If you have children, you must also set up a Kids’ Protection Plan® to make sure your children are not taken into the care of strangers, even for a minute, and that your resources are deployed for their benefit seamlessly, privately, and with protections that only a well-considered estate plan can offer.
If You Have Children
Many parents, gay and straight, don’t know what happens to kids if something happens to their parents.
Few parents know that their children could be taken into short-term protective custody or spend time in Foster Care if they don’t take affirmative action to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Your non-adoptive partner, neighbors, friends, and sitter don’t have the legal authority to care for your children unless you’ve granted them that authority in writing AND the documents in which you did it are readily available.
A Welcoming Environment
You can feel comforted in knowing that your family will be truly cared for by an attorney skilled in planning for LGBTQ families and especially those with minor children.
The firm even offers a Kids Protection Plan that will ensure that your children will not be taken into Foster Care or otherwise cared for by people you'd never want should something happen to you.
Additionally, the firm can guide you and provide solutions for other estate planning problems uniquely faced by gay and lesbian parents involving schools, medical care, and even travel.
If You’re Married
Despite marriage being legal across the nation, due to prejudice and bias, same-gender families must try harder to make their intentions known and to ensure their wishes are honored in the event of incapacitation or death.
The dynamics of non-accepting family members or care providers and situations where only one of you is the biological parent of your child are things that need to be considered and planned for.
If you are in a same-gender relationship, it is especially important to work with an attorney that understands the unique challenges inherent to same-gender estate planning.
Many of the issues are the same as traditional estate planning, but many are different.
We know you are busy and we promise to make the process as simple and easy for you as possible.
Contact us, or to get started right away, schedule an appointment online.
