Do you assume common law marriage exists everywhere? At some point growing up I "learned" that any couple who lives together for seven years automatically becomes a common law marriage, and never ...

Property division in a divorce depends on whether the state follows community property or common law rules. In community property states, most assets acquired during the marriage belong equally to ...

In most states, divorce laws don’t apply to couples not formally married Like formally married couples, partners in a common-law marriage may have property that they own jointly and separately. But ...

Did you assume common law marriage existed in every state? I did. I feel like it was one of those bits of information that floated around as simply a given that if you lived with someone for seven ...

DENVER (KDVR) — Some states require that all couples do things like say “I do,” or sign papers in order to be considered married. This isn’t always the case. Colorado is one of only a handful of ...

Normally, when I write about case law, it is a divorce or family law case. Today, of all things, a tax court case caught my attention as it dealt with the issue of whether New Jersey recognizes common ...

Does Social Security recognize common law or do you have to be legally married? My potential life partner is currently on disability collecting Social Security in a neighboring state. If the spousal ...

“Well, we were never actually married, but we were basically married. Common law married.” Few words raise more red flags for estate planners and probate attorneys than phrases like this. Marriage is ...