Living with My Boyfriend, the House is in His Name. Who Gets the House if he Dies? A woman asks: I’ve been living with my boyfriend for 8 years. We live in a house here in Massachusetts that’s in his…
What is a Massachusetts Cohabitation Agreement? Massachusetts law does not recognize common law marriage. So when couples who have been living together (or cohabiting) decide to break up or when one suddenly dies, there is no “rule book” that controls…
Living Together: How Can I Protect My Property Rights? Massachusetts does not recognize “common law” marriage. Even if you’ve lived together for 7 years, Massachusetts doesn’t recognize the doctrine. Since there’s no common law marriage, when couples who have been…
Why Second Marriage Estate Planning is Critical When you get remarried in Massachusetts having an estate plan becomes even more critical because without proper legal planning state law will control how your assets get passed on. If you have children…
Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA (Defense of marriage act) In a landmark decision, hailed by equal rights advocates all over the country, a divided U.S. Supreme Court struck down a section of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) that denied…
Utah Man’s Self-Penned Obituary: Lessons We Can Learn An obituary written by a 59 year old Utah man who died of throat cancer has gone viral. Apparently in his obit, Val Patterson, spoke sweetly of a well-lived life and expressed…
July Fourth is My Favorite Time of the Year! July 4th has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I was a history major in college (S.M.U. to be exact – and, I’m talking about THE SMU…
A Father’s Day Message. A Father. A Teacher. A Hero My father is my hero. Truth is that I can’t tell you a heart-wrenching story of inspiration about my father. I can’t tell you that he’s rescued someone from the…
Massachusetts Does Not Recognize Common Law Marriage Massachusetts does not recognize the doctrine of “common law” marriage. It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve lived together, it could be 7 years or 70 years, you cannot have a marriage under…
My Stepchildren are Driving Me Crazy! and Other Refrains from a Blended Family Like many couples out there, I’m part of a blended family. You see, my life isn’t just about law. I’m living in a committed, long term relationship…