For those who were living together as spouses before the law allowing for marriage passed in our state, or for those who chose not to marry for reasons related to family or societal factors, this may seem unfair when it comes to matters of alimony and property division. For example, consider a couple that has lived together for the past 20 years, but didn’t marry until five years ago. Should an alimony award be based on the 20 years of life together, or only the past five? What about property acquired during the relationship 15 years ago vs. three years ago? These are tough questions that require the assistance of an attorney to navigate. You’ll want a lawyer on your side advocating for you.
Determining Child Custody May Be More Complicated
The other issue that is particularly convoluted in gay divorce is that of child custody. If a child is not the biological child of both parents, or if both parents have not established legal parental rights (through adoption), then only one parent in the marriage may actually have the right to seek custody of a child. This can be a heartbreaking reality for the other, who raised the child. For this reason, it’s very important to establish parental rights as early on in a child’s life as possible. Please call our lawyer if you need help doing this, or if you are getting a divorce and are wondering how your parental rights will be implicated.
Call Our Cape Cod Gay Divorce Attorney Today
All divorce cases are best navigated with the support of an attorney. If you have an especially complex divorce case, don’t hesitate to contact Attorney Heather M. Ward. You can reach our Cape Cod gay divorce lawyer by phone at (617) 903-8955, or by sending our law firm a message directly at your convenience.
How to Get Started
To start the process of filing for divorce or learning more about your divorce options, call the office of Heather Ward Law directly at (617) 903-8955 today or send us a message telling us more about how we can be of service. Heather will help with your same sex divorce and will work hard for you.