Civil Partnerships

Since 2005, same sex couples in England and Wales have been able to become civil partners. A civil partnership brings with it these legal rights and responsibilities:

• A duty to provide reasonable maintenance for your civil partner and any children of the family
• The ability to apply for parental responsibility for your civil partner’s child
• The equitable treatment for the purposes of assessment for child support, life assurance, tax (including inheritance tax), employment and pension benefits, inheritance of a tenancy agreement
• Protection from domestic violence and from discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation
• Recognition for immigration and nationality purposes
• Wills are revoked when you enter a civil partnership and your partner can sue the other's estate if they are not a beneficiary under the Will. If there’s no Will, then the partners benefit in the same way as spouses

Before entering into any legal contract or civil partnership agreement, it makes good sense to take specialist legal advice from a civil partnership solicitor.

Unfortunately, some Civil Partnerships will fall apart and the Partnership will have to be formally dissolved through the Courts. The legal, financial and emotional impact of the breakdown of a civil partnership can be considerable. Expert individual legal advice is almost always recommended as every case is different.

If you have entered into a civil partnership and need advice regarding the breakdown of your relationship, we are able to provide you with expert advice regarding your legal rights and can assist you with:-

• Bringing your civil partnership to an end
• Financial claims upon dissolution of a civil partnership
• Factors which govern the division of assets
• Protection from domestic violence
• Children

For further information on civil partnerships contact Keith Powell