Cohabitation Agreements and Non-Marital Relationships

Recent polls and statistics, as well as California and Federal case law, confirm that societal changes make clear that more people than ever before are living together without the formality of marriage. Because these relationships do not have the protection of California Family Law statutes, their respective rights and obligations are governed by contract law. To avoid problems in the relationship, or in the event the relationship comes apart, many parties enter into a Cohabitation Agreement to define matters such as real property, investments, sharing of income, expenditures, etc. Absence of a well-crafted agreement leaves open the danger of differences between the parties with regard to sharing of income and assets. We have had many years of experience negotiating and drafting these types of agreements and counseling clients where substantial financial worth, property, income, inheritance, retirement benefits, and estate planning, etc., are involved.