LGBT Planning
At DLKLawGroup PC, we are committed to meeting the special estate planning needs and challenges faced by the LGBT community. As a firm, we are sensitive to the many definitions of "family" that may be pertinent to LGBT planning.
Although California and a few other states are beginning to provide some legal protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families, there is no federal recognition of these relationships. This lack of recognition severely limits the rights that LGBT couples have without advance planning. In effect, these families are forced to contract legally for rights that federally-recognized couples obtain automatically through marriage. Even registered domestic partners who have been together for many years are still treated as legal strangers under federal law and in most other states.
Whether single or partnered, with children or without, LGBT individuals need to do their estate planning with knowledgeable advisors who are sensitive to the complexities and legal challenges that exist today.