Cohabitation Agreements are Useful for Domestic Partners

If you live with your partner in California but are not married, you should still register as domestic partners in order to receive certain benefits.

After you legally register as domestic partners, you should then call a family law attorney to draft a cohabitation agreement. This is a document that outlines your legal rights and what you expect from your partner. It can discuss anything, but normally outlines both partners' responsibilities regarding parental rights, finances and estate planning.

Cohabitation agreements are useful for both heterosexual and same-sex partners. According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, there have already been a noted increase in cohabitation agreements being filed by both same-sex and heterosexual partners. Like a prenuptial agreement, a cohabitation agreement will usually only be used should the union dissolve in the future.

While you may never have heard of cohabitation agreements before, they are becoming more and more common.Contact a Los Angeles family law attorney today to learn more about these agreements.