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Prenuptial agreements

An honest conversation about money, written down before the wedding

A prenuptial agreement says what stays separate and what becomes shared. Done early and done fairly, it's less about planning a divorce than about not having to argue over a house or a business if one ever comes.

I draft agreements for one partner and review them for the other, never both. Each of you needs your own lawyer and a full picture of the other's finances, and you both need time to read before you sign. Start at least two months before the wedding if you can.

I handle

  • Agreements before the wedding

  • Postnuptial agreements after it

  • Reviewing an agreement a partner's lawyer drafted

A hand in a navy sleeve writes on a page in a red leather folder

Flat fees

One flat fee for each side of the agreement

Prenuptial work is billed as a flat fee, so neither of you is watching a clock during a conversation that's hard enough already. I quote it in writing after our first meeting.

  • Drafting an agreement

    For the partner who wants an agreement written. The fee turns mostly on how much there is to list: a business, a pension, property in another state.

    • A first meeting and a written list of what to cover

    • The draft agreement and a schedule of assets and debts

    • Two rounds of revisions with your partner's lawyer

    • The signing meeting

  • Reviewing a draft

    For the partner who has been handed an agreement to sign. The fee turns on the length of the draft and how far apart the two of you are.

    • A line-by-line read of the draft

    • A meeting to explain it in plain words

    • A letter of suggested changes to the other lawyer

    • One follow-up review of the revised draft

  • What neither fee covers

    An outside appraisal of a business or pension is paid to the appraiser. Each fee covers one partner, and your partner's own lawyer is paid separately, by your partner.

Ask about a prenup

Questions to settle before you sign

Can a prenup decide custody or child support?

No. Those are decided for the children's benefit when the time comes, and an agreement made in advance can't fix them.

What makes an agreement hold up later?

Each partner having their own lawyer, full disclosure of finances, terms that aren't lopsided, and enough time to think before signing.

We're already married. Is it too late?

No. A postnuptial agreement covers the same ground after the wedding, and the same care about disclosure and fairness applies.