Family Lawyer

Yes, gay marriage has been fully legal across Canada since July 20, 2005, when the Civil Marriage Act became law. Canada was the fourth country in the world—and the first outside Europe—to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. Same-sex couples have identical rights to opposite-sex couples, including marriage, adoption, spousal benefits, tax advantages, pension rights, healthcare decision-making,…

If you are planning a wedding or a legal split in 2026, the rules are not what they used to be. While there isn’t one single “federal marriage law” that rewrote the books for every state, a wave of major state-level statutes and significant federal tax updates took effect on January 1, 2026. From California’s…

Texas does NOT require 10 years of marriage to establish a common law marriage. The “10-year rule” refers to spousal support eligibility under Texas Family Code § 8.051, not common law marriage formation. Common law marriages can be established in days or weeks if all three statutory requirements are met: agreement to be married, cohabitation…

No, Texas has NOT eliminated common law marriage. Common law marriage remains a legally valid form of marriage in Texas as of January 2026 under Texas Family Code § 2.401, carrying identical legal rights and protections as ceremonial marriage. Rumors persist due to confusion with other states that have abolished it, proposed legislation that never…

Common law marriage in Texas IS a legally valid form of marriage that carries identical legal rights and protections as ceremonial marriage. Both are recognized under Texas Family Code § 2.401, and the key difference is procedural—ceremonial marriage requires a license and ceremony, while common law marriage requires meeting three statutory elements without formal documentation….

Yes, a common law wife in Texas is entitled to the same legal rights and protections as a ceremonially married wife when three statutory requirements are met: agreement to be married, cohabitation as husband and wife, and holding out as married to others. These entitlements include equal property division, spousal support, inheritance rights, and federal…

Yes, Texas recognizes common law marriage when three specific requirements are met: the couple agrees to be married, lives together as husband and wife, and holds themselves out to others as married. This type of marriage is just as legally valid as a ceremonial marriage, giving you the same rights to property division, spousal benefits,…