Vancouver Marriage Prenuptial Agreement Lawyers help parties get on the same page concerning how their marriage or marriage-like relationship will be structured while they are together and how things will be sorted out if the relationship ends. Maclean Law has 6 offices across BC and in Calgary where our marriage prenuptial agreement lawyers operate from.
Marriage Prenuptial Agreement Lawyers 1 877 602 9900
Before you know it, the wedding season will be upon us. Couples throughout British Columbia are planning their parties, looking for a place to live and generally getting ready for all the changes coming in their lives. But too many will not take the time to plan their financial futures, which can lead to serious problems later on if things don’t happen to go as planned. Marriage Agreements, known also as “Pre-Nups” have a bad reputation because popular culture has attached to them the notion that anyone seeking one is basically expecting an eventual divorce, and scheming to keep their partner from getting anything when it happens. This is a gross exaggeration at best, and not the situation at all, in the majority of cases. Most prenups are drafted fairly, with lawyer input on both sides, and benefit both spouses. Hiring a top Marriage Prenuptial Agreement Lawyers is key, however. Click here for more.
Vancouver Marriage Prenuptial Agreement Lawyers
Call Us Now At 1 877 602 9900
Tal Wolf of MacLean Law’s Vancouver Office explains 5 good reasons to put aside all the (incorrect) negative hype and actually consider exploring a Marriage Agreement as part of sensible financial planning, especially if this is not your first marriage if you and your wife or husband to be are at different places in your lives financially if one of you is bringing in with significant debt (e.g. student loans), or if you expect to be on different income trajectories:
Reason 1
You learn a lot: When you seek out marriage prenuptial agreement lawyers in British Columbia to help you with a premarital agreement (no, you should never write your own, as it likely will not be held up in Court and thus may not be worth the paper it’s printed on), you get an education in family law. You learn how property is divided in a divorce, and when the court will award spousal support (and when it won’t) among other things. You would not buy a house or business without getting legal advice, why should marriage be different?
Reason 2
It starts the marriage off with a clear sense of expectations for both sides, who presumably are both satisfied with the deal, which in many respects may mirror what the law would entitle you to anyways. For example, say you inherited money from your aunt and want to keep it separate from the marriage, you would discuss that ahead of time with your fiancée and then deal with it in the prenup. If you know that any property acquired during the marriage is going to be owned equally (50/50), then that can be made clear too.
Reason 3
Think of it as insurance: People have car insurance not because they know they are going to have an accident, but because they know it could happen. Few people go into a marriage knowing they are going to eventually divorce, but smart people know it could happen whether they want it to or not. Savvy BC business owners always have a buy-sell agreement (a premarital agreement for business owners). Why should marriage be different?
Reason 4
In the worst-case scenario, a well-written agreement should make your divorce case easier. The key, though, is for it to be well-written because otherwise you are doing yourself potentially harm than good. The last thing you want is to go into the marriage with a set of “expectations” based on a badly drafted contract, only to find out many years later that your spouse will be able to set it aside or otherwise gain settlement leverage from the mere threat of doing so. The key focus Marriage Agreement and Prenup lawyers at MacLean Law’s Vancouver office will be to maximize the probability that your contact will stand up to the test of time and judicial scrutiny. If the final agreement is clear, unambiguous and not unconscionable, it should make resolving your divorce case much easier, quicker and cheaper.
Reason 5
Unfair or one-sided prenups often don’t hold up in British Columbia: Again, the “she gets nothing” myth is perpetuated in popular TV and films where divorces and conflict need to be dramatized. At the same time, a Marriage Agreement does not need to benefit both spouses equally. It needs to be bargained for in good faith, with both sides having adequate time and advice before signing the agreement, and with both sides presumably getting something that they specifically want, even if it’s not everything that the law would entitle them to at the hindsight point of the divorce.
For some general ideas on the pros and cons of prenups and how to discuss one see this NBC article.
Surrey Marriage Prenuptial Agreement Lawyers
If you can’t decide if you need a prenup, take the time to list out all of your accounts and valuables. Now list all of your debts and those of your spouse-to-be (for which you may end up paying). You may be surprised at how much you do have, and how much you could be at risk. Getting a Marriage Agreement in place may provide much-needed protection.
Before taking the plunge, give the BC and Calgary marriage prenuptial agreement lawyers at MacLean Law a call to find out how you can make this valuable tool work for you.
