Property division in a divorce depends on whether the state follows community property or common law rules. In community property states, most assets acquired during the marriage belong equally to ...

Did you assume common law marriage existed in every state? I did. I feel like it was one of those bits of information that floated around as simply a given that if you lived with someone for seven ...

Common law marriage is recognized in Alabama, Colorado, D.C., Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Georgia, Idaho, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, though ...

Normally, when I write about case law, it is a divorce or family law case. Today, of all things, a tax court case caught my attention as it dealt with the issue of whether New Jersey recognizes common ...

“Well, we were never actually married, but we were basically married. Common law married.” Few words raise more red flags for estate planners and probate attorneys than phrases like this. Marriage is ...

Roger Baron, Professor of Law, and Sarah Baron Houy, Esq. A common-law marriage, or “informal” marriage, is one where the parties do not have a wedding or marriage ceremony, but the law recognizes ...