While married partners receive the benefit of property division statutes to protect their interests in divorce, cohabiting partners must rely on often expensive civil court procedures to protect their property interests in the event of a breakup. Many cohabiting couples enter into domestic partnership agreements to protect their interests. For those who do not, partition actions can be utilized by the court to divide jointly owned real estate and personal property.
A partition action divides real estate, personal property and shared assets between two or more parties. Often used by business partners when dissolving a business, partition actions are also used by cohabiting partners to divide jointly held real property and personal property or to remove a partner’s name from shared titles, deeds, investments and other assets. Because Arizona family laws offer little protection for cohabiting couples in matters of property division, partition actions can provide a way for couples to achieve a fair division of those assets.
Without the assistance of a skilled Phoenix property division lawyer, it can be difficult to prove a shared interest in real property and personal possessions that are acquired during the relationship. Our lawyers provide knowledgeable advice and honest counsel, so you can protect your interests with a domestic partnership agreement before the fact, or define them legally through a civil partition action after the fact. We can help you understand your rights, anticipate possible outcomes and work toward a practical resolution to your property division concerns.
Contact our law office in Phoenix to discuss your cohabitation, property division or other family law concerns with one of our experienced attorneys. We welcome inquires from the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) communities as well as unmarried heterosexual couples throughout Arizona.
