Living Together: A Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples

281 Pages·2006·1.5 MB·English

by  Frederick Hertz, Ralph E. Warner

13th edition
Living
Together
A Legal Guide for
Unmarried Couples
by Attorneys Toni Ihara, Ralph Warner & Frederick Hertz
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NOLO
13th edition
Living
Together
A Legal Guide for
Unmarried Couples
by Attorneys Toni Ihara, Ralph Warner & Frederick Hertz
Thirteenth Edition fEbruary 2006
Editor Emily doskow
Editorial assistance sTEphaniE haroldE
Cover design Toni ihara
book design TErri hEarsh & sTEphaniE haroldE
production margarET livingsTon
index baysidE indExing sErviCE
proofreading susan Carlson grEEnE
printing dElTa prinTing soluTions, inC.
ihara, Toni lynne.
living together : a legal guide for unmarried couples / by Toni ihara, ralph warner &
frederick hertz. -- 13th ed.
p. cm.
includes index.
isbn 1-4133-0423-0
1. unmarried couples--legal status, laws, etc.--united states. 2. unmarried
couples--legal status, laws, etc.--united states--forms. i. warner, ralph E. ii. hertz,
frederick. iii. Title.

kf538.i35 2006
346.7301'6--dc22
2005055495
Copyright © 1978, 1979, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2006
by Toni ihara and ralph warner.
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Acknowledgments
recent editions of Living Together have beneftted from the extraordinary legal
r esearch help of Ella hirst and alayna schroeder and the exceptional editing and
creative input of marcia stewart and kathleen michon. Thanks, too, to amy ihara for
her hard work and creative contributions during the manuscript preparation stage.
for the 12th edition, thanks are due to Twila slesnick for her edits and additions to
the income tax and retirement plans material.
About the Authors
attorneys Toni ihara and ralph warner have been involved in the self-help law
movement since its inception in the early 1970s. ralph warner is a co-founder of
nolo and is author of several self-help legal books, including nolo’s Everybody’s
Guide to Small Claims Court. Toni ihara is an anthropologist turned lawyer turned
graphic artist, and has been with nolo since the beginning. after living together for
nearly 20 years, Toni and ralph are now married.
frederick hertz is a practicing attorney and mediator and the author of Legal Affairs:
Essential Advice for Same-Sex Couples (owl books) and co-author of nolo’s A Legal
Guide for Lesbian & Gay Couples. he lives in the san francisco bay area.
Table of Contents
1 Living Together: An Introduction
2 The Legal State of Living Together
A. Sex and the Law ................................................................................................... 2/2
B. Common Law Marriage ......................................................................................... 2/3
C. Living Together Contracts ....................................................................................... 2/4
D. To Be Safe, Write It Down ...................................................................................... 2/9
E. What Happens to Your Written Living Together Agreement If You Get Married? .......... 2/10
F. Domestic Partners ............................................................................................... 2/11
3 Living Together Agreements: Why and How
A. Ten Tips for Writing a Living Together Agreement ...................................................... 3/3
B. Property Agreements ............................................................................................ 3/4
C. Agreement to Share Ownership of a Joint Purchase ................................................ 3/13
D. Agreement Covering Joint Projects ........................................................................ 3/17
E. Agreement Covering Homemaker Services ............................................................ 3/19
F. Agreement for Artists and Inventors ....................................................................... 3/21
G. Agreement for People in School ............................................................................ 3/23
H. Agreement to Protect Person Who Moves a Long Distance or Gives Up a Job ............ 3/25