I MARRIED MY DOMESTIC PARTNER! WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT OLD AGREEMENT?

Back in the dark ages (last spring), many gay and lesbian couples in California entered into domestic partnership agreements as a way to confirm their promises to each other because they did not have the right to marry.  A marriage is basically a three way agreement between the government and the couple that includes all sorts of statutory rights and obligations the starry-eyed lovers may or may not be aware of.  A domestic partnership agreement, however, is similar to a pre-marital agreement in that it is completely individualized to the particular couple involved.  (My post on pre-marital agreements is called “Do I need a pre-marital agreement if I love my fiancé?”)

HOW CAN I LEGALLY HAVE TWO WIVES?

You want two wives? This is an interesting question. Until I wrote this post, in 2013 I assumed that most men would enjoy having one wife and one or two mistresses more than being legally responsible for two full-fledged wives. However, clearly I was wrong. This is by far my most popular post-- which means that lots, and lots of you are typing the heading into search engines. 


Well, I always knew my readers are an extraordinary bunch and you are not most men. (If you are even a man at all— See my post on the latest laws regarding homosexual marriage.)

DO I REALLY NEED AN AGREEMENT WITH MY BUSINESS PARTNER?

So you and your best bud came up with a fantastic mousetrap that will blow the competition out of the water.  There are stars in your eyes, there is a fire in your belly and, for the moment, you are thrilled at the way your best friend’s talents complement yours.  Sound familiar?  It is familiar if you’ve ever been in love.  And just like love, business partnerships start out with the biggest hopes, the strongest ideals and a rosy-hewed generosity between the parties that, well, you just never see again.  Okay, that was harsh.  I will amend that to say that it is rare to find two people who can sustain that level of expansiveness throughout the duration of a relationship.  If you form a for or non profit corporation you will have a board of directors to help arbitrate, mediate, etc. in case of a disagreement, but in a simple partnership you are one your own.  So do yourself a favor and take advantage of all that good will to put a solid partnership agreement in place.