Agreements for Today's Family

The passion and selfless devotion of lovers in love needs no written contract. If love grows into commitment, then words alone no longer suffice, however well intended. Love has to survive and grow in the real world.

It is a sure sign of the strength and determination of a couple that they can discuss the practical and unromantic aspects of relationships, openly and honestly.

Couples living together deserve the security of a mutually agreed contract in writing, for their own protection. Cohabitation and prenuptial agreements protect both partners and the relationship. These contracts can bring a de facto relationship into the real world.

Those who have not yet achieved that level of commitment might look over contracts and perhaps discuss where it is they really stand in the relationship.

R.P. Emery & Associates provide comprehensive contracts including prenuptial and co-habitation agreements, postnuptial and parenting agreements. These are ideal discussion papers and can be customized to provide a mutually agreeable and binding contract. These documents become a legal expression of the intent of the partners, produced by legal professionals and recognized in court.

R.P. Emery & Associates contracts provide a flexible template upon which the rights and obligations of partners can be spelled out, eliminating the burden of uncertainty and freeing a couple to focus on more productive and rewarding challenges.

The Cohabitation Agreement is designed for people living together. It deals with the assets and debts partners bring to a relationship, management of finances and property, and care of children. Any time people live under the same roof there is some kind of agreement they live by, usually based on their understanding of fairness and personal responsibility. In some situations this vague and flexible arrangement works well. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it is best to get it in writing, to enshrine fairness in the functioning of the household.

Planning a wedding is a very practical exercise, with a hundred things to get right, at the right time and right place. On this day two people join their lives together. If they have put as much effort into planning their life together as they did planning their wedding, they are off to a good start. They will have discussed assets and debts, who owns what and how finances will be arranged and children provided for. If the couple decides a written prenuptial agreement would bring security and mutual respect to their new marriage, it should be properly written, by legal professionals and properly reflect their needs and intentions.

Couples who find themselves in the position of having to divide assets and dismantle a marriage, and who lack the guidance of a prenuptial agreement, may benefit from a Postnuptial Agreement. This legal template is a useful tool to minimise disputes and maintain positive relationships. Like all R.P. Emery & Associates contracts it requires the consent of all signatory parties before becoming legally binding. The opportunity for consensus in this possibly difficult time is improved using the Postnuptial Agreement as a guide.

Shared parenting plans can take the pressure off de facto parents and separated partners, to the benefit of the children. R.P. Emery & Associates’s Co parenting Agreement lays out the rights and obligations of biological and de facto parents and establishes their legal standing in the lives of the children. The contract covers a variety of circumstances which may arise and ensures the care and well-being of the children is a priority in the relationship. This is a valuable asset for a modern family

view excerpt from Cohabitation Agreement

view excerpt from Prenuptial Agreement

view excerpt from Postnuptial Agreement