Common Law Marriage Rights Boston MA

Common Knowledge
"Common-law" marriages aren't nearly as common as most people believe. Here's what you need to know to protect your rights while you're together -- and after you break up.
By Brad Marcoux

You're in a relationship, and for the past decade you've been living together. You share everything: the chores, the shopping, the bills, raising your two children, walking the dog. At parties, you introduce each other as husband and wife. The only difference between your relationship and the Smiths' next door is that you didn't bother with the ceremony or the marriage licence. That doesn't matter, though, because as far as you're concerned, you're in a "common-law" relationship. If something did happen and it all ended, you'd have the same protection under the law as the Smiths do, right? While this is what high-profile cases and popular terms such as "palimony" have led many to believe, no matter how sure you are about your marital standing, the law might say otherwise.

What and where

The concept of common-law marriage dates back hundreds of years. Originally, it was designed to allow those without easy or convenient access to marital authorities to enjoy the rights and benefits of a legal marriage. Even today, some states will consider a couple to be "married" -- and to be entitled to the same legal protection as those who follow a more traditional route -- as long as they me...