The best Vancouver marriage agreements lawyers help potential newlyweds and couples entering marriage-like relationships plan during the good times how their relationship will be governed while they together and how things will be dealt with in the event the relationship ends. A marriage agreement or prenup deals with financial issues for couples who are getting married while a cohabitation agreement deals with how financial matters will be dealt with when parties will not marry but will live in a marriage-like relationship. Since property rights for married couples and unmarried couples in a committed relationship of over two years duration are the same, similar strategies are used in both types of agreements. In today’s blog, Mandarin and Cantonese fluent Vancouver family lawyers provide some key tips to help make your marriage and cohabitation agreements stand the test of time. MacLean Law is Canada’s national family law firm with offices across Canada.
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Raising a marriage agreement or prenup is somewhat uncomfortable but we suggest you emphasize the fact that a prenup will simplify a divorce and make it quicker, less expensive, and less emotionally draining.
Prevention is better than a cure, this sound bit of advice comes from your family doctor but the same principle also applies when it comes to family law disputes. At MacLean Law, our award-winning high net worth divorce lawyers understand that a cohabitation or marriage agreement could be necessary to protect your property and your parents’ gifts or advancements to you. It can also protect one spouse’s wealth brought into the relationship and any gain made on this wealth. The best Vancouver marriage agreements lawyers know that although we cannot stop one from separating, a professional and competent cohabitation agreement or marriage agreement should minimize the conflicts and provide clear guidance on both parties’ conduct and behaviour.
In today’s blog, we share three top tips that are known by the best Vancouver marriage agreements lawyers on preparing for a cohabitation agreement or marriage agreement.
Begin the Conversation Early
We acknowledge that discussions about a cohabitation agreement or a marriage agreement can be difficult at times, as some would take these discussions the wrong way. However, once you have clearly identified the issues that you want to deal with, it should be a matter of when and how you address them. Shying away from these discussions never helps, as the closer, it gets to your date of marriage or the two-year mark of cohabitation, the more pressure on you to make decisions and the less time your other half has to think about the agreement.
The earlier you begin the conversation and the more you talk about it, the less awkward or emotionally bearing it would become.
Do Your Agreement Right
It is not just about signing something before you get married. How you do your agreement matters and you need to get this right, as an invalid “agreement” that would not hold up in court is as good as nothing. To make it worse, the false comfort of any google or DIY “agreement” often causes more problems than what it would resolve.
For example, do you know that financial disclosure is crucial to any cohabitation agreement or marriage agreement? This involves the exchange of information between the parties, including each party’s worldwide assets, debts, and income. Proper values often involving the retention of a business valuator, your accountants, real estate appraisers is critical to making the agreement fair and enforceable. Proper income calculations should also be done in consultation with your lawyer as well as some projections of what the couple’s future prospects will be.
Are you familiar with the correct ways of executing an agreement? Are you aware of the potential consequences of signing an agreement without obtaining independent legal advice?
At MacLean Law, our experienced family lawyers have seen far too many agreements done wrong, and they defeat the purpose of getting one done in the first place. Contact our office and we will help you get it right.
An Agreement can be a Win-Win
Cohabitation and marriage agreements are contracts, where both parties are within their rights and liberty to negotiate and agree on the terms of the agreement. It does not need to be an “all or nothing” agreement where one party takes it all, the parties can be both winners out of the agreement if both their expectations can be met and balanced reasonably. Signing a cohabitation or marriage agreement could also give both parties peace of mind, having discussed and addressed the important issues about their relationship in the agreement. Here are some ways to bring up the topic of a marriage or cohabitation agreement with your future spouse.
Best Vancouver Marriage Agreements Lawyers Can Help 1 877 602 9900
Our top-rated lawyers routinely represent family law clients in cases involving cohabitation agreements and marriage agreements. Reach out to any of our Vancouver and Richmond family lawyers today to do your agreement right and address your issues head-on.
