McKinley Irvin Blogs from February 2013

• Rights When Ending Intimate Committed Relationships

  Feb 27, 2013
  Do We Have a Common Law Marriage? While several states recognize "common law marriage," Washington State does not. Instead, Washington State follows the doctrine of Committed Intimate Relationships (also called meretricious, quasi-marital, or marital-like relationships). Like common law marriage, which is a legal status given to parties living in a relationship similar to marriage but without a formal ceremony or marriage certificate, committed intimate relationships also recognize the importance of long-term, committed, ...
  Posted By Anthony Zorich
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• Can I Protect My Children's Inheritance from Their Spouses?

  Feb 25, 2013
  Estate Planning for Your Children after They’ve Married Parents developing an estate plan to financially provide for their children need to consider effective means to protect their children's inheritance in the event of their children's divorce. Generally, depending on state law, inheritance is treated differently than property otherwise acquired during a marriage. But the separate designation provided for inheritance does not provide complete protection, as a court typically has authority over all property for distribution ...
  Posted By J. Blake Hilty
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