Mar 19, 2021

Making it Official: How Family Law Can Benefit Millennials

If you’re a millennial, like I am, you’re probably in one of two positions right now. Either you’re making major life changes - getting married, having kids, buying a home, finishing up an advanced degree - or you’re on social media every other day (because we’re all trying to cut back, right?) seeing your peers making some or all of these major life changes. If you’re a lot like me, you have more than a little FOMO about it too, because your (my) wedding got pushed back a year due to COVID so all the major life changes you had been planning have been put on hold. Fear not, fellow FOMO-ers. Our time will come, but until it does, we have the silver lining of having more time to plan. And if you’re planning a major life change, a family law practitioner can often help you. Here’s a brief overview of how:

You’re getting married!

Congratulations on your engagement! Take my business card. No, really! Family law attorneys aren’t only useful when a relationship is ending. We tend to think of prenuptial agreements as a planning tool for millionaires, not for the rest of us. Well, take it from me: you and your future spouse don’t need to have significant wealth to benefit from a prenuptial agreement.

Do you or your partner own real estate, either together or separately? A prenuptial agreement can ensure what will happen to that real estate in the event of a divorce. Are you or your partner working on that advanced degree? A prenuptial agreement can address how student loans are allocated in the event of a divorce. (Not-so-fun fact: if a student loan is incurred during the marriage, that could end up classified as a marital debt, which BOTH of you could be responsible for!) Are you planning to start a business? A prenuptial agreement can make sure that your business stays with you, even if your partner doesn’t.

A prenuptial agreement is a completely customizable document. Anything you want to address, any financial interest or asset you want to protect, chances are a prenuptial agreement can do that. We at Grunyk Family Law can help you decide if a prenuptial agreement is right for you.

You’re welcoming a kid!

Congratulations! There are a number of ways a family law attorney can help protect your growing family, no matter how you’re starting it. New parents lose enough sleep as it is; knowing your legal bases are covered from day one gives you one less thing to worry about in those important first years of your child’s life.

Research shows that young adults are choosing to wait longer and get married later in life, and more people are becoming parents without being married. For folks in that situation, a family law attorney can make sure that you and your child are protected against all sorts of contingencies.

If you are no longer in a relationship with the child’s other parent, we can help you gain legal assurance as to both parties’ parental rights, as well as a schedule for parenting time. If you are together but not married to the child’s other parent, we can help you put the proper documentation in place to ensure that if something happens to one or both of you, that your child will be cared for according to your wishes. Nobody likes to think about death or incapacitation. But the best way to plan for such scenarios is to do so beforehand, rather than having to figure it all out while a crisis is happening.

If you’re pursing private adoption or having a child through surrogacy, having an attorney guide you through the process and prepare the necessary documents is absolutely critical. Grunyk Family Law has attorneys experienced in both adoption and surrogacy, and we can help make sure that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Family law attorneys aren’t just for getting a divorce. Don’t get me wrong, we are definitely the ones to call if you are getting a divorce, but that’s not all we do. When you’re starting a family by getting married, having a child, or both, making plans can save you the time, expense, and mental energy of having to worry about it when the unexpected happens.