Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships & Civil Unions
By Frederick Hertz and Emily Doskow
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Full legal marriage is now available in all U.S. states. But there are still many questions that same-sex couples should discuss before walking down the aisle. Learn how marriage will affect:
- your family if you have children
- your taxes, and
- your responsibility for your partner’s debts.
Making It Legal also covers state laws on same-sex domestic partnerships and civil unions, and explains whether your registration will be recognized if you move to another state.
Frederick Hertz
Frederick Hertz is a practicing attorney-mediator and the author of other Nolo books including, A Legal Guide for Lesbian & Gay Couples, Living Together: A Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples, and Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership & Civil Unions. You can visit Frederick's website at http://www.frederickhertz.com.
Related to Making It Legal
Related ebooks
8 Ways to Avoid Probate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExecutor's Guide, The: Settling a Loved One's Estate or Trust Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivorce After 50: Your Guide to the Unique Legal and Financial Challenges Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNolo's Essential Guide to Divorce Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRepresent Yourself in Court: Prepare & Try a Winning Civil Case Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSimple Will Creator: Legal Self-Help Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuilding a Parenting Agreement That Works: Child Custody Agreements Step by Step Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivorce in Illinois: The Legal Process, Your Rights, and What To Expect Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGive Through A Will & Living Trust: Legal Self-Help Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssential Guide to Handling Workplace Harassment & Discrimination, The Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidance On Creating Your Own Will & Power of Attorney: Legal Self-Help Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorking With Independent Contractors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForm Your Own Limited Liability Company: Create An LLC in Any State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvery Tenant's Legal Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business: 65 Essential Agreements, Contracts, Leases & Letters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForm a Partnership: The Legal Guide for Business Owners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Win Your Personal Injury Claim Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divorce Without Court: A Guide to Mediation and Collaborative Divorce Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaving the Family Cottage: A Guide to Succession Planning for Your Cottage, Cabin, Camp or Vacation Home Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssential Guide to Family & Medical Leave, The Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Corporate Records Handbook, The: Meetings, Minutes & Resolutions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvery Landlord's Guide to Finding Great Tenants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorking for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Gig Workers of All Types Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Judging Policy: Courts and Policy Reform in Democratic Brazil Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRunning a Good Business, Book 4: Start-Up and Legal Matters: Running a Good Business, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Law For You
Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Legal Words You Should Know: Over 1,000 Essential Terms to Understand Contracts, Wills, and the Legal System Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Win Your Case: How to Present, Persuade, and Prevail--Every Place, Every Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Estate & Trust Administration For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe LLC and Corporation Start-Up Guide: Your Complete Guide to Launching the Right Business Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wills and Trusts Kit For Dummies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Critical Race Theory: The Cutting Edge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Everything Guide To Being A Paralegal: Winning Secrets to a Successful Career! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The ZERO Percent: Secrets of the United States, the Power of Trust, Nationality, Banking and ZERO TAXES! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Think Like a Lawyer--and Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Socratic Method: A Practitioner's Handbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paralegal's Handbook: A Complete Reference for All Your Daily Tasks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Win In Court Every Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drafting Affidavits and Statements Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/58 Living Trust Forms: Legal Self-Help Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mueller Report: Final Special Counsel Report of President Donald Trump and Russia Collusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Executor and Trustee Book: A Step-by-Step Guide to Estate and Trust Administration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dictionary of Legal Terms: Definitions and Explanations for Non-Lawyers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Making It Legal
3 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5While this book is a great resource for same-sex couples embarking on the legal aspects of commitment, it should be required reading for any and all joined in such bliss. NOLO has again created a great legal resource. This book does a good job of explaining what the legalities of union mean, what assets and liabilities are at stake, social and emotional ramifications, how to prepare for the future--both joyful events and less so, and the various localities that recognize same-sex union. Kudos, as well, for explaining the history of marriage and its inherent biases. The weakness of this text is that apart from cataloging such info in one binding and recent changes at state levels, there's not really any new information in it, and some of it will without doubt be short-lived as marital landscape changes. Examined as a thorough introduction, this text opens up great dialogue and sheds insight on what questions to ask, what points to consider, and where to go from there.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Working with LGBT people professionally, I thought this book might be a good resource, but I had my doubts given how frequently the laws in the area of same-sex relationship recognition are changing. I was glad to see that the book attempts to address the issue by providing frequent reminders to access up-to-date information (at the NOLO website, though legal professionals, etc). A lot of the book is focused on relationship advice and the social aspects of same-sex marriage and civil unions. Some of this seemed like filler, included only to cushion the fact that little solid legal information can be conveyed at this point. I'm just not sure how useful it would be to same-sex couples on a practical level. It would be a good primer for a college term paper on issues facing same-sex couples seeking legal recognition.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I love Nolo's books and always find them to be full of good advice. However, I found "Making It Legal" to be a book unsure of what it was supposed to be. Part of the problem is that the law in this area is changing daily. (For example, my home state of Maryland should be passing a law permitting same-sex marriage within the next few weeks.) Part of the problem seemed to be a lack of focus - there was a crazy mixture of legal, financial, social, and relationship advice for same-sex couples. Ultimately, the parts that I found the most interesting had already been pretty well-covered in other Nolo books such as Living Together, which also appeal to a wider audience.In short, this book is worth checking out from the library if you are looking into entering a permanent relationship with your same-sex significant other and want to be convinced not to (or at least know all the risks). But I am in the niche audience this book is marketed to, and I found that it was not really useful.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Because gay marriage, and its variations (domestic partnerships and civil unions), are controlled by the states, responsibilities and rights can vary significantly. California's domestic partnership is the equivalent of other states' marriage, and differs from Maine's domestic partnership, including whether a divorce is required.If you move to another state, or live in a different state from where you marry-domestic partner-civil union, then the state where you reside may or may not recognize your relationship, depending on state law and state case law. Thus, Texas will recognize your marriage but you cannot be divorced there!Making It Legal covers these details, sometimes in agonizingly boring detail. It also covers estate planning, and prenuptial agreements. If you are gay and considering a legal relationship with your better half, then this book will be useful.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is the tech support manual for a same-sex relationship. Planning on getting married? You need this book. Not planning on getting married. You still need this book. The laws regarding same-sex couples vary from place to place (and they keep changing). Making It Legal will help you make your way through things.It's not the most romantic thing to cuddle up with your honey and discuss the legal and financial implications of getting married. Of course, it's even less romantic to stay unmarried because you fear the legal implications are worse than they really are or to get married and find some unanticipated wrinkle.It's just a book and it can't answer everything. Some things are still unanswered. I look forward to future advice from Nolo on this subject.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The NOLO guide entitled “Making it Legal” is one of those rare books concerning legal matters that is written, by design, so that almost everyone can use it. Which in my opinion doesn't happen enough. The subject legalizing relationships, with the emphasis being on Same Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships, and Civil Unions, is a very pertinent one right now with all the discussion and the various legal proceedings presently under way. The best way teat such guides as this is to use them. Is it useful? Is it easy to find the answers you are looking for to your questions. Does the book make one think more about the subject of legalized relationships? What are the responsibilities and what would expected of you and your partner. The answer to these topics and many others are to be found within the covers of this volume. One of the features I thought very interesting was the Marriage License Test to be found towards end of the book. Don't leave home to get a License without taking this test! It will help you think about those things that should give thought about before beginning any long term relationship. I think I can recommend this book very highly. It can definitely be used to guide you though the legal maze that so many couples enter into so quickly and unknowingly.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An extremely good guide to same-sex relationships. This book is a great guide for the LGBT community. Nolo’s fare is usually more attorney-friendly, this book isn’t quite as full of “legalese” as other’s that Nolo offers. It is definitely far more user-friendly. Being a paralegal, this book will serve me well. It’s already getting that used look! I expect, however, that a new edition (this being the 2nd edition) will be forthcoming because of the New York state decision to recognize same-sex marriage in June of 2011! Hopefully, same-sex marriage will be a reality in all fifty states soon!