Domestic Partnerships
We Take Justice to Heart
Fortwayne Divorce Law understands how trying a divorce can become. We want to help you make the best choices, the right choices for you and the ones you love.
Through our online and in person services, we are committed to help you obtain the outcomes you want and need in order to move forward with your life plans and goals. Ideally, we would like to help you move through a peaceful and rational divorce process. Although this doesn’t always end up being the case, we will give you our very best so you can work towards a healthy, sustainable future.
Our priorities are your priorities.
What is a Domestic Partnership?
A domestic partnership is considered a relationship among two people living together that is interpersonal, but it’s not recognized as a legal marriage or a civil union. The parties involved can either be of the same-sex or opposite-sex and in this case, they don’t prefer to marry each other.
Some of the states currently still recognize the same-gender union in the U.S through domestic partnerships despite its legalization. However, you need to know that there are several differences among various states about the privileges, equal rights, and obligations in domestic partnerships. The cities which recognize such a partnership include Colorado, California, Nevada, District of Columbia, Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
We are Here to Serve
Whether you are building or breaking up a domestic partnership, our counselors, mediators, and legal team at Fortwayne Divorce Law are here to serve you and your best interests.
Benefits of a Domestic Partnership
Domestic partnerships are applied to recognize family units outside of marriage in some states, allowing basic visitations of alliances in hospitals or jail. However, you need to know that you might not be entitled to make funeral arrangements, health-care decisions, or lay claims about your partners’ estates. Additionally, employers also need proof of registration of partnership to offer some benefits to you.
Many jurisdictions allow same-gender or heterosexual couples who don’t want marriage to be in domestic partnerships. The good news is that couples can still be eligible to obtain certain benefits despite not being legally married.
Some of the benefits include:
• Parental Rights
• Tax treatment
• Death benefits
• Health and life insurance
• Sick and family leave
Thinking About Terminating your Domestic Partnership?
It’s challenging when you’re facing an end in any relationship, but when in a domestic legal partnership that’s recognized by the law, there are several steps that you need to take before you can end the whole process. However, you don’t need to feel confused about it because you can always book a consultation with Fortwayne Divorce Law to understand more about the legal standing on domestic partnerships and how they can be terminated. Our team of competent attorneys will guide you through the process of termination and ensure your rights, especially rights on the division of shared, are well protected. Our services also extend to issues of custody and support.
Expediting the Termination of your Domestic Partnership
Separating from your domestic partner can be done timeously as the process is straightforward for registered domestic partnerships. When a relationship is filled with irreconcilable differences, sometimes the best decision is to amicably separate by terminating the partnership. Therefore when you make the ultimate decision to separate, one of the ways to ensure the termination is done fast is to work closely with an attorney. The process of termination of a partnership can be expedited when;
• The break up is mutual between partners.
• There is no involvement of children.
• The evaluation of financial assets and debts of a couple are below a certain threshold of the dollar.
• Partners mutually agree to maintain the same residence despite the separation.
At Fortwayne Divorce Law, our lawyers have the competence and experience required to handle domestic partnerships; hence they can offer you the requisite help to expedite the termination. Our team is well versed with the legal procedure required in the termination of domestic partnerships; hence we will work closely with you to ensure your matter is addressed and finalized as soon as possible.
What Could Lengthen the Termination Process
When your partnership is beyond remedy, and the only option left is termination, some issues might cause the termination to be complex hence take more time than anticipated. Here are some of the issues that might complicate the termination:
• Children commonly referred to as issues of the marriage
• Accumulated assets and debt
Due process has to be followed in such a situation, and part of the due process is the filing of the petition before the relevant courts. In this instance, the procedures followed are similar to those followed in divorce proceedings. As a party to the termination proceedings, it is in your best interest that you retain a lawyer to act on your behalf. Issues of property and custody can be complex when dealing alone. To get a favorable determination, it is in your best interest that you have legal counsel.
Additional Considerations that you Need to Know
After the decision by the Supreme Court recognizing same-sex marriage as legal and constitutional, several jurisdictions chose to phase out their domestic partnership laws. In these areas, the lawmakers concluded that such a partnership could no longer be considered because marriage laws now applied to all types of marriages, either the same sex or heterosexual. Therefore those who chose to engage in domestic partnerships do so for other personal reasons.
Some states passed laws that automatically converted most of their partnerships to marriages. Many jurisdictions still acknowledged domestic partnerships, and some allowed couples to be in both marriage and domestic legal partnership simultaneously.
What Attorneys from Fortwayne Divorce Law can do for You
We know that legal procedures can be challenging to handle on your own, especially where property, children, or debts are involved. Child custody and support matters are always determined with attention to the best interest of the child. A competent family law attorney from Fortwayne Divorce Law can help analyze your case before making an appearance in court to establish the relevant statutes that can lead to a favorable decision.
The termination of a partnership shouldn’t always be ugly because the involved parties can choose to terminate amicably. However, some cases might end up with lots of animosities; we aim to ensure that our clients are well represented and equal rights are established. Where possible, a cordial relationship is maintained more so where children are involved. Our mandate is to ensure that we represent the interest of our clients at all costs. Suppose you and your estranged partner own a joint business. In that case, our competent team will conduct the business evaluation as part of pre-trial preparation hence helping your case gain expedite determination.
Additionally, other issues might arise after termination has been finalized. Where, according to our assessment, the determination reached by the court is not favorable, we can help appeal on your behalf. The unfavorable decision might have been arrived at due to various issues, and with our team, we can help address the relevant grounds and the pertinent laws of the appeal.
If you are looking to terminate your partnership, you need a team that believes in equal rights for everyone. Contact us at Fortwayne Divorce Law today, and let us help you go through your partnership termination with ease.