Like many of New York's same-sex couples, you may not be interested in marriage. You and your partner may not feel you need a piece of paper to be a family. However, you may not feel that your family is complete without a child or two. The two of you may decide to adopt, but you may also decide that one of you will serve as the biological parent of your child.
Why a second-parent adoption is crucial for same-sex couples
Is it time for your same-sex spouse to apply for a green card?
Since the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, many more New York couples decided to take the plunge and enjoy all of the federal benefits afforded to any married couple. For some, this includes making use of federal immigration laws that allow same-sex spouses who came from another country to seek a green card and eventually citizenship.
Same-sex couple estate-planning issues: What if you get sick?
After winning the right to marry in 2015, many same-sex couples gained rights previously only available to married couples of the opposite sex. Tax breaks, health insurance and many other benefits of marriage made life easier for numerous couples overnight.
The home study as part of same-sex adoption
After the hard work of winning the right to marry, you may have wasted no time arranging to make your love for one another official. The joy of legally marrying the person you love most can only increase with the opportunity to welcome a child into your home.
How do courts deal with frozen embryos in a divorce?
Many New York couples fail to feel as though their families are complete without children. However, whether it stems from timing, inability to conceive or some other reason, some couples decide to use in-vitro fertilization to create embryos that could result in a child someday. When couples decide to wait to use them, the clinic could freeze them for future use.
When is it possible to challenge a will?
A will is a great estate planning tool, but there are times that the terms of a will could come under scrutiny. Disputes over wills can make it difficult to settle an estate and allow New York families to move on after the death of a loved one, but there are times when it may be appropriate to challenge the terms of a will. There are only certain people who can legally challenge a will.
Misconceptions may make same-sex adoption more difficult
As someone who has always wanted a child, you may have found the prospect of parenthood exciting. However, as a homosexual person, you may have also considered the prospect of having a child of your own potentially out of reach. Now that same-sex adoption is legal in all 50 states, you may have once again begun to feel the desire to add children to your family.
What are the benefits of a health care proxy?
Everyone can benefit from having certain protections in place, regarding of health status, income level or sexual orientation. Same-sex couples could benefit from making certain that they have strong estate plans in place, which should include a health care proxy in case one person becomes incapacitated.
Obtaining legal guardianship when your child turns 18
If your child was very young when diagnosed with a profound disability, you may know no other way than that of providing every necessity for your child. On the other hand, if an accident or illness rendered your child disabled, you may still be learning how to provide what he or she needs.
Are you questioning the actions of your TOLI's trustee?
When your loved one died, he or she may have made you the beneficiary of a trust whose assets consist of one or more life insurance policies. Your loved one probably intended that the trust would provide for you for a long time. He or she trusted that the person appointed to serve as trustee would manage the policy in such a way that makes that wish come true.
