New York City Lawyers Handling LGBT & Same Sex Family Law Issues
"Our legal system works. The trick is to find an attorney who makes it work for you." — Attorney Steven J. Mandel
Although New York recognizes gay and lesbian marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions, same-sex couples are not currently able to marry within New York's borders. Consequently, gay and lesbian couples do not have the same legal protections and allowances as married couples. As a result, issues related to custody of children, division of property upon separation, spousal maintenance, critical medical decisions, and even inheritance rights and probate are made much more difficult for same sex couples.
While waiting for marriage equality to become the law of the land, legal options exist which effectively provide similar legal protection to same sex couples. The attorneys at The Mandel Law Firm will help you and your partner prepare contracts, wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies, partnership agreements and other documents to legally protect your rights as a couple.
Finding Family Law Solutions That Work
Our LGBT lawyers have the knowledge, experience and sensitivity necessary to answer questions and handle the variety of legal issues specifically faced by same sex couples:
- Domestic Partnership agreements
- Cohabitation agreements and registration and termination of domestic partnerships
- Division of property upon separation
- Gay and lesbian divorce
- Custody and support of children
- Dissolution of long-term relationships
- Estate planning, including Last Wills and Testaments and Durable Powers of Attorney
- Tenancy agreements
- HIPAA regulations and health care directives
- Non-biological parent and second parent adoptions
- Reallocation of assets
- Transfer of real estate and other property
- Same-sex domestic violence
- Marriage contracts for transgenedered/transsexual individuals
- Donor insemination agreements
- Living together agreements, including sharing of expenses
- Contracts for long term couples
- Agreements to combine income & assets
- Contract for ownership of real property purchased together
- Parenting agreements between biological parent & second parent
Leaders in Gay and Lesbian Family Law
In recent years, a number of important legal developments have occurred in regard to recognizing same-sex marriages. The laws are in a state of flux, often making it necessary to combine contract law, family law and estate planning in order to create solutions that work for our gay and lesbian clients. Our broad-based experience allows us to apply a wide range of tools to resolving a dispute or protecting your rights.
At The Mandel Law Firm, we're poised on the cutting edge of development in this area. We follow cases on a daily basis in order to be able to use new legal precedents to advance our clients' cases. We have successfully been involved in many such matters.
Protecting Your Partner, Children and Assets
Gay and lesbian couples who have partnership agreements, tenancy agreements and documented legal relationships are in a better position should they decide to terminate their relationship since they have already discussed and agreed upon most of those issues that would arise upon termination. If there is a child involved, adoptions and second parent adoptions can protect the legal rights of the non biological parent, allowing the adoptive parent standing to seek custody and visitation. Additionally, your ex-partner may sue you for a division of partnership assets, including any equity acquired in your home during your relationship, any earnings on investments during that time, and interest earned on your bank accounts.
Let us help protect you, your partner, your child and your assets from unnecessary and unforeseen circumstances before they arise.
The Mandel Law Firm believes that love knows no gender. Our lawyers have the knowledge and experience needed to help you assert your rights and to ensure you are fully protected. Contact us today online, or by telephone toll free at (888) 2 WIN NOW (888-294-6669) or locally at (212) 697-7383 to learn more in a free consultation.
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