Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships & Civil Unions, Edition 4

Frederick Hertz · Emily Doskow

Apr 2016 · Nolo

About this ebook

Although same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide, there is no federal recognition for domestic partners or civil union registrants, and many couples have messy and unresolved agreements and/or registrations that need to be cleaned up. Couples also need to consider whether they want to extend marital rights (and duties) retroactive to when they first starting living together as a couple, and those with children may need to resolve issues of legal parentage.

All of these issues will be addressed in the new edition of Making It Legal, which provides a brief history of the same-sex marriage movement, an overview of emerging trends, and a discussion of the factors involved in the personal decision to marry, including:

Is a pre-nup agreement advisable and what does it involve?
Whether you will be responsible for your partner’s debts if you’re married
How to evaluate the effect of taxes on shared lives
When to turn to professionals for help during disagreements
When a will or living trust might be needed
and more!

About the author

Hertz is a practicing attorney-mediator and the author of Legal Affairs: Essential Advice for Same-Sex Couples (Owl Books) and co-author of Nolo's Living Together: A Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples, A Legal Guide for Lesbian & Gay Couples and Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership & Civil Unions.

Emily Doskow is a practicing attorney and mediator who has worked with families in the Bay Area for more than 15 years. She specializes in family law, including adoption, parentage issues, domestic partnership formation and dissolution, and divorce. She is a graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. She is the author of Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce and coauthor of A Legal Guide for Lesbian & Gay Couples.