You may have plans to spend your life with a partner, but choose not to marry them. Whether circumstances or preference determine this decision, it’s important to know the legal and financial implications of entering a committed intimate relationship rather than a legal marriage. A Silverdale family lawyer from Dellino Family Law can give you answers.
Our team has over 180 years of combined experience. We know how Washington’s laws apply to your relationship and the steps you can take to strengthen the partnership from the start. A committed intimate relationships lawyer in Silverdale can offer the insight and guidance needed to protect your relationship and your future.
Preparation Supports a Healthy Relationship
Some relationships end badly because couples did not take the time to discuss and settle important issues before moving in together or marrying. Partners may have a romantic plan to “live on love,” but unfortunately, that plan is not sustainable, no matter how lovingly the relationship starts.
When entering a committed intimate relationship, it is important to understand that shared living arrangements involve both financial obligations and everyday responsibilities. A committed intimate relationships attorney in Silverdale can help you and your partner plan for those realities by working with you to create a cohabitation agreement.
This agreement can establish the financial and household responsibilities of each partner. You can use the agreement to clarify issues that have the potential to derail your relationship if left unaddressed. For example, you can decide how you’ll pay for housing and related bills. Making these plans is a practical way to prevent conflict.
Cohabitation Agreements Provide Protection
Partners and relationships can change. A cohabitation agreement can offer critical protection should your relationship end.
By deciding how you’ll handle finances and property division while you still care about each other, you can avoid dealing with these conflicts during the emotional intensity that often comes with a relationship’s dissolution.
What Washington Law Says About Committed Intimate Relationships
Washington State recognizes committed intimate relationships (CIRs) and has taken steps to address some of the legal matters affecting unmarried partners. The Washington Review published the paper “Beyond Marvina v. Marvin: How Washington Leads the Way in Protecting Unmarried Cohabitants,” which explains a CIR’s legal status.
Judges consider the length of the relationship, how long partners have lived together, the purpose of the relationship, and each partner’s intent, among other factors, when deciding whether to give a partnership a CIR designation. This designation offers protection for “vulnerable cohabitants” if the couple splits.
Sometimes, one partner focuses on household and childcare duties as the other works outside the home. The legal recognition of the relationship acknowledges the non-earning (or lower-earning) partner’s contribution to the home and their entitlement to shared property.
Dellino Family Law Can Help if Your Relationship Ends
If your relationship is ending, talk to a Silverdale committed intimate relationships attorney. Even amicable splits come with intense emotions. An attorney can help you think clearly about important matters that affect your finances and your future, so that reality and practicality, not temporary feelings, guide your decisions.
Sometimes, relationships do not end peacefully. Partners can feel betrayed and angry. Dellino Family Law knows how to deal with high-conflict divorce, or in your case, a high-conflict ending to your CIR. We will offer you loyal support and critical protection. We know how laws apply to CIR dissolutions, and if you have a cohabitation agreement, we can ensure those terms are honored.
Financial Support
When legally married couples divorce, the judge can order spousal maintenance. These orders require one spouse to provide financial support payments to the other, even after the marriage ends. The option for spousal maintenance does not apply to CIRs. One spouse only has to support the other if the cohabitation agreement requires it.
Property Division
The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 26.09.080 requires equitable distribution of property in divorces. Unlike the spousal maintenance law, this law does extend to CIRs. Judges consider debts or assets the couple acquires during the relationship as shared property, unless designated otherwise in a cohabitation agreement.
The court seeks to divide property fairly based on the circumstances of the relationship and the parties involved. This means the split of property is fair, if not necessarily equal.
Parenting Plans for Children of Committed Intimate Relationship Partners
If you and your partner bring children into the relationship or have children during your time together, parenting plans become a major issue when your CIR ends. The State presumes parentage under circumstances described in RCW 26.26A.115. Depending on your situation, it could be important to establish paternity to avoid questions during child custody and support discussions.
We can explain what you need to know about parenting plans in Washington State. These plans focus on supporting healthy parent-child relationships and serving the best interests of the child. Parenting plans determine how much time a child spends or resides with each parent and each parent’s role in making decisions for the child.
You may need to make parenting plan modifications as your child grows or your circumstances change. Our team can help you petition the court for the adjustment, presenting evidence and arguments to support your request.
Child Support
Whether married or not, a child’s parents are legally required to provide for their children. The courts determine financial support amounts based on a variety of factors. Washington has a streamlined process for creating child-support plans, but for a person without legal knowledge and navigating a breakup, following that system is still difficult.
Since the matter of child support is overwhelming, leave it to your legal team. We know how the system works and applies to your situation, and can work toward a resolution that meets your child’s needs and respects your financial circumstances.
Contact a Committed Intimate Relationships Lawyer in Silverdale Today
Partner with Dellino Family Law to give your relationship the attention it needs to flourish, and to give yourself the protection should that relationship change.
A Silverdale committed intimate relationships lawyer is ready to help you enter a partnership with confidence or end it as peacefully as possible.