Review your settlement agreement or court order with your plan administrator to be sure your divorce papers and health insurance provisions are consistent. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not recognize common law marriages, so unmarried couples with money problems at the end of their relationships are not entitled to apply our divorce laws to their cases. Some people feel that is an advantage, but in the absence of governing statutes, the parties and their lawyers are left to craft settlements with little guidance. Over the years creative lawyers argued successfully that a woman who gave up her career as a flight attendant had a right to a share of the house purchased in her lover's name during their relationship. In another case a man who worked many years on a farm owned by his lover, got nothing for his efforts.
Some unmarried couples sign cohabitation agreements to preclude uncertain nasty endings.
Just as prenuptial agreements deal only with the rights of the husband and wife, cohabitation agreements should deal only with the adults, not their children. Call your state bar association for a referral or use Martindale-Hubbell , a national directory which lists lawyers alphabetically by city and state. Most public libraries subscribe to Martindale-Hubbell. Martindale-Hubbell rates lawyers based on evaluations by other lawyers and judges. Ratings are helpful, but make your own decision.