By: Julia Frey
Before yesterday, when I prepared estate planning documents for same-sex couples there was a quagmire of issues that had to be addressed, since the State of Florida did not recognize same-sex marriages. As of yesterday, all over the State of Florida, gay and lesbian couples have been able to be legally married in Florida. What does this mean for a same-sex couple? With marriage comes various legal rights and obligations, so you should meet with your estate planning attorney to discuss those issues. If you already have an estate plan in place, and you get married, then you need to contact your estate plannning attorney to update your documents to reflect the new marital status. If you don’t have a Will, Trust, or financial or health care power of attorney documents in place, you should now do so. You should also have your attorney review with you how your assets are titled, and determine whether there is a better way to title assets to provide increased asset protection. In short, this is great news, but after you get married take the next step and get your legal documents in order as well!
