Company: Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors

Address: 32/36 May Street, Belfast, BT1 4NZ

Telephone: 028 9024 3901

Website: www.fhanna.co.uk

Category: Legal and Financial - solicitors

Information:

Francis Hanna & Company have expertise in providing advice for same sex couples.

Our solicitors will be able to guide you on the legal and financial implications of your partnership. It is important to know where you stand in the event that your relationship breaks down as this may have significant financial as well as emotional implications.

You may choose to formalise your relationship by entering into a Civil Partnership. One of the main benefits conferred to same-sex couples under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is the ability to transfer property, arrange maintenance and divide pensions in the same way as these matters are handled in divorce. Our lawyers can help negotiate and document settlement agreements with the aim of reaching mutually satisfactory terms. When disputes cannot be resolved through negotiation, we can also assert or defend your interests through court proceedings.

Another Civil Partnership benefit that represents a major set forward is the right of civil partners to inherit from one another even in the absence of a valid Will, in much the same way that people in traditional marriages can.

If you do NOT enter into a Civil Partnership but decide to cohabit with your partner you may require legal advice to ensure each of your interests in the property are protected. Some people choose to enter into a Cohabitation Agreement which sets out what they both want to happen in the event that their relationship later breaks down.

It is also important to know what might happen financially, and how the ownership of your home may be affected on your death, or the death of your partner. Partners in informal relationships have few rights, which can come as an unpleasant surprise.

If you have a child together, again your rights in relation to contact with the child and parental responsibility for the child are areas which can give rise to dispute if arrangements cannot be agreed. Again we provide expertise in this area to ensure that the child’s best interests are served.

For further information about our services please look at our website at www.fhanna.co.uk  for a free, no obligation discussion, call us on 028 9024 3901.