Living Together in a Domestic Partnership When a couple decides to form a long-term committed relationship, a Domestic Partnership Agreement helps solidify the relationship by outlining the responsibilities of each partner. Such responsibilities may or may not include: how to share income and pay bills and whether property is meant to be jointly or individually owned. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community has seen great strides in equality with states passing marriage equality laws for same-sex couples. However, there is a federal ban, Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA), that restricts about 1,138 benefits from same-sex couples and many states do not recognize any form of same-sex couple marriage benefits. There is a critical need to provide gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals and couples with alternative means to protect their basic family and relationship rights. Legal documents can provide you legal and emotional security in the event that something unexpected occurs. A Domestic Partnership Agreement supplemented with other estate planning documents such as: living will, financial and healthcare power of attorney, co-parenting agreements, hospital visitation authorization will assist in protecting your interests. Safeguard your relationship, secure your financial, property and health care rights by taking action now and prepare estate planning legal documents. |