Family Lawyers Bloomington, Illinois
Popular culture reflects regularly on the emotional and celebratory aspects that go into the processes of becoming engaged and planning a wedding. However, American society does not tend to reflect regularly on the legal side of beginning married life. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that engagement parties, wedding receptions, honeymoons and wedded bliss are far more interesting than learning about one’s legal rights and responsibilities as a married person, sorting out necessary legal documentation and planning for the future. However, it remains critical to think about the legal side of marriage, as marriage is (at least in part) a legal institution.
After You Have Wed
There are numerous legal tasks to be attended to in the wake of a wedding. It is worth noting that an experienced attorney can help to guide you through each of these tasks in turn. Too often, lawyers are only consulted when individuals and families find themselves in legal trouble. In truth, many legal challenges can be mitigated by consulting with an attorney relatively regularly about matters as varied as estate planning, contract drafting, taxation and purchasing real estate.
One of the most important tasks that should be attended to is updating all of one’s policies and accounts to reflect your new marital status. If you have employer-sponsored health insurance, life insurance, accidental death insurance, retirement accounts, etc. you will likely need to update each to reflect that you wish for your spouse to be your beneficiary for these policies. Similarly, if you wish to add your spouse to a bank account or other accounts, you will need to contact each relevant institution. If one or both of you have changed your names, all accounts, employers, debt collectors, etc. will need to be notified of the change.
Finally, if you have an existing will or broader estate plan, it will likely need to be updated. If you have yet to construct an estate plan, you and your spouse will need to speak with an experienced attorney about creating one. From medical decisions to property considerations, you and your spouse will want to make sure you’re on the same page about your plans and wishes in regards to unexpected injury/illness and end-of-life matters.
Legal Guidance Is Available
If you are interested in exploring your legal rights and responsibilities as a married couple, please consider connecting with an experienced family law attorney. Too often, couples only seek legal guidance after they are experiencing trouble or are concerned that something legally-related has either gone wrong or has become sincerely urgent. Family law attorneys can serve as excellent resources for families navigating virtually any situation. In addition, seeking guidance proactively can help to ensure that certain preventable challenges are addressed before they spiral out of control.
Scheduling a consultation with an attorney does not obligate you to take any action whatsoever. Doing so simply helps to safeguard your legal options and better ensure that your decisions moving forward are informed ones. Please consider reaching out to experienced family lawyers Bloomington, Illinois offers at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols with any questions you may have at any time that they occur to you.