Schaumburg Cohabitation Agreements Attorney

Cook County Family Lawyer Helping Couples Who Live Together in Illinois

When couples decide to live together without getting married, there are many legal and financial issues that should be considered. The union of marriage automatically provides certain rights to spouses, but those rights must be established by agreement for unmarried couples. Cohabitation agreements allow domestic partners to contractually clarify each person's privileges and obligations within the relationship. This can help avoid disputes about the responsibilities of each partner, and it can protect their rights and financial interests if the relationship should come to an end in the future.

At Anderson Attorneys, P.C., we are experienced in working with nontraditional families. We guide our clients through the process of drafting comprehensive cohabitation agreements that help protect their rights and plan for all future possibilities. We work to help our clients understand the legal impact of the decisions they make and put arrangements in place that will provide for their needs, regardless of how their lives or families may change in the years to come.

Cohabitation Agreement Provisions

An effective cohabitation agreement must be designed to fit the specific needs of the couple and family involved. Depending on your personal and financial circumstances, your cohabitation agreement can include:

• Provisions for division of household expenses (i.e. rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, insurance, etc.): This can help prevent disputes over each partner's responsibilities while providing expectations for how financial concerns will be handled during a couple's relationship. With a better understanding of how these matters will be addressed, couples can be prepared to respond to situations such as the loss of a job or health issues that could affect their finances.
• Provisions for property ownership and survivorship: By defining the rights to property that either partner owned separately or that a couple purchased together, a cohabitation agreement can help avoid disputes. It can also establish inheritance rights to ensure that one partner will be able to maintain ownership of valuable assets (such as a couple's shared home) in the event of the other partner's death.
• Provisions for parenting roles in the event of a breakup (particularly when one partner is not a biological or adoptive parent): An unmarried partner may establish relationships with the other partner's children, and they may wish to preserve these relationships regardless of what may happen in the future. A partner who does not have parental rights may lose their ability to maintain contact with a child, and they may become concerned about whether the child's needs are being met. A cohabitation agreement may help protect these relationships while ensuring that a child's best interests will be provided for. Unmarried parents may also benefit from establishing paternity or taking steps to have a parent adopt their partner's child.
• Provisions for property distribution and debt responsibility upon separation: Unlike married couples, unmarried partners have no rights to an equitable division of shared property following the end of a relationship. To prevent disputes and ensure that the financial interests of both partners will be protected, a cohabitation agreement can detail how a couple's assets and debts will be divided if they break up in the future.

A cohabitation agreement can also name domestic partners as each other's legal guardians or conservators in case of incapacitation. In combination with other estate planning tools, a cohabitation agreement can provide domestic partners with many of the same legal rights that married spouses enjoy. At Anderson Attorneys, P.C., we are skilled in crafting comprehensive estate plans and creating effective and enforceable cohabitation agreements. We work closely with our clients to provide the peace of mind that their rights are properly protected and their wishes are properly expressed.

Contact Our Schaumburg, Illinois Cohabitation Agreement Lawyer

To learn more about how we can assist you in creating a cohabitation agreement, contact us at Anderson Attorneys, P.C. and schedule a free consultation. We work with clients throughout the Chicago area from our Schaumburg office.