• Adoption
• Appeals
• Child Custody
• Child Support
• Collaborative Law
• Divorce
• Domestic Partnerships
• Domestic Violence Protection Orders
• Fathers' Rights
• High Net Worth Divorce
• International Cases
• Invalid Marriages
• Legal Separation
• Modifications: Child Custody
• Modifications: Child Support
• Modifications: Parenting Plan
• Non-Parental Custody
• Paternity
• Prenuptial, Postnuptial and Cohabitation Agreements
• Relocation
• Restraining Orders
• Unmarried Couples

Domestic Partnerships

Everyone deserves the right to compassionate, top-notch legal representation regardless of their sexual or gender orientation. McKinley Irvin attorney Elizabeth Hershman-Greven is a leader in domestic partnership and LGBT family law, having represented countless clients in dissolution actions involving property, financial, and child custody issues. She also advises clients about whether to register their domestic partnerships with the State, and frequently handles second parent adoption matters. Ms. Hershman-Greven lectures and publishes extensively on this challenging, constantly evolving area of law.

Currently, same-sex couples may register their domestic partnerships with the Washington Office of the Secretary of State. By doing so, couples receive certain state rights and responsibilities of marriage*. If their partnerships end, couples must seek dissolutions in the Superior Court, except for under certain limited circumstances. All issues normally addressed in a typical marital divorce action are resolved in a domestic partnership divorce action, including property and debt division, child support, child custody and parenting plans, attorney fees, and spousal maintenance.

Same-sex couples who do not register their partnerships with the State can still create rights and obligations, often inadvertently, by cohabitating in a marital-like manner. These kinds of relationships are referred to in the law as meretricious relationships or intimate committed relationships. The rights and obligations involved in these cases are not as far reaching as they are in domestic partnerships and there are significant procedural differences.

Our LGBT attorneys are skilled and experienced in meeting the family law needs of the Seattle area's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. We also serve the greater Washington State LGBT community.

McKinley Irvin LGBT Family Law Resources

Domestic partnership and LGBT family law are constantly evolving. Please check our resources page for articles and updates on domestic partnerships, gay and lesbian family law, and other changes in the law that affect our community. We especially recommend that you review the profiles of attorneys Elizabeth Hershman-Greven and Justin M. Sedell.

Our Firm's Commitment to the LGBT Community

Elizabeth Hershman-Greven and Justin Sedell are front-runners in their field and are passionately committed to the pursuit of equal justice and fair treatment for members of the LGBT community. Our firm supports important LGBT organizations, such as the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, The Human Rights Campaign, Equal Rights Washington, Legal Voice (formerly the Northwest Women's Law Center), and Q-Law. If you need assistance with a Domestic Partnership or other LGBT family law matters, please contact our office to schedule an appointment.

McKinley Irvin proudly serves Washington State with offices in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Puyallup and Gig Harbor.

For more information about McKinley Irvin, or to contact us about your case, click here.