Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
Our divorce attorneys have assisted many clients across Connecticut through the years with prenuptial agreements, in which the spouses-to-be agree prior to their marriage on financial and related arrangements upon divorce or the death of a spouse. Prenuptial agreements, also called antenuptial agreements and premarital agreements, are agreements made by a couple prior to their marriage and in contemplation of marriage.
Prenuptial agreements may make sense for those who are entering a second marriage, own a family business, have assets to protect, or are a beneficiary of trusts or large inheritances. The agreement must be signed by both parties voluntarily. Both spouses must have the opportunity to have an independent lawyer review the agreement, and the couple must provide each other fair and reasonable disclosure of their assets, debts and income.
We also increasingly are working on postnuptial agreements, when spouses are uncertain about the future of their marriage and want specific legal understandings regarding their financial and parenting arrangements during the marriage and if they are divorced. Whereas a prenuptial agreement is signed before the wedding, a postnuptial agreement is an agreement signed during the marriage. Each of these types of agreements has different standards and laws that apply to them.