In Family Law, We Have Done It All

Meretricious Relationships/Domestic Partner Actions

Unmarried Couples / Living Together as if in a Marital Relationship

Unmarried or same-sex couples who part company may have similar rights under the law to those given to married couples when they divorce. When a partnership or relationship dissolves, the parties have the same needs and concerns. At Anderson, Fields & McIlwain, Inc., P.S., our lawyers work with same-sex and unmarried partners in matters such as property division, child custody, and support. Known as meretricious relationships under Washington State law, these partnerships must undergo scrutiny by the court to determine whether the parties are eligible for family law protections when they break up.

Our Seattle lawyers have many years of experience handling legal issues raised by the break up of a same-sex relationship or meretricious relationships. Call 206-905-4290 or toll-free 866-970-4558 to learn more.

Contact our Seattle law firm if your relationship or partnership is dissolving and you have questions about your rights and options. We advocate for clients, including helping them prove to the court that they were part of a meretricious relationship. We work with our clients to develop evidence, asking the court to consider:

  • The length of the relationship
  • Whether the parties purchased real property together
  • Whether friends and family referred to them as a couple or partners
  • Whether they were ever engaged

Depending on the answers to questions such as these, the court may allow the breakup of your partnership to be handled in family court. If the court rules that yours was not a meretricious relationship, you may still bring a civil action. In either case, our attorneys can represent your rights.

Long-term heterosexual relationships, often referred to as meretricious relationships, can present challenges to the parties and the attorneys who help them. Our lawyers can handle any variety of family structure, and have been doing so for many years. Contact our Seattle lawyers for answers to questions about the breakup of non-married couples. We have the experience and resources to help.