Nonmarital Families

Although traditional marriage is alive and well, nonmarital long-term relationships are steadily gaining in popularity and recognition. This evolution in the fundamental concept of family provides unique opportunities and challenges for the family law professional.

The many permutations of nonmarital relationships fall under the broad label of cohabitation, so it is vital to be well acquainted with it. This includes understanding the differences between cohabitation and marriage, knowing the dangers inherent in a lack of legal status (including measures unmarried partners can take to protect themselves), and recognizing the types of relief a court might grant when a cohabitation relationship dissolves without a governing contract. You will also need to be aware of the trends in same-sex partnerships, such as civil unions and their defining characteristics. There was a time when family law resources rarely addressed nonmarital issues, but that era has passed.

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Articulate the legal differences between cohabitation, domestic partnership, civil union, and marriage
• Conduct research related to family law case studies
• Describe the common elements of a cohabitation agreement
• Identify forms of relief available to cohabiting partners when their relationship dissolves
  
• Draft a cohabitation agreement Propose appropriate actions in response to hypothetical ethical dilemmas
  
• Propose appropriate actions in response to hypothetical ethical dilemmas
• Draft a cohabitation agreement
• Apply rules, procedures, statutes, and case law related to non-marital families in your jurisdiction to a case study