Jane O Ross @ the J.Ross Firm
Your attorney doesn't have to be family; but it sure helps!
Its critical that you are comfortable with your attorney and that he or she understands gay and lesbian issues.
At The J.Ross Firm, we understand because your issues are our issues too. The J.Ross Firm provides litigation, mediation, and collaborative law solutions for Arizona 's Gay community.
Arizona, like most states in America, doesn't allow same-sex couples to legally marry and does not have a Domestic Partnership law. This means there are some legal issues every couple needs to sort out. The most common issues are property and debts; during your lives and upon death. For some couples, children are also a very big issue. Property issues can be handled with a Domestic Partnership Agreement.
A Domestic Partnership Agreement is a private contract that spells out how you want to deal with property and debts and allows you to decide how they should be divided if either (or both) of you die or if you break up. Some couples want money and bills to be completely separate and other couples want to share everything, equally, or some other way. A Domestic Partnership Agreement allows you to decide these things for yourself. If you don't have a Domestic Partnership Agreement you risk a judge making these important decisions for you after something has happened. This kind of litigation can be emotionally and financially overwhelming costing thousands of dollars and months of distress.
We strongly recommend that all couples have a domestic partnership agreement. Even something as seemingly simple as adding your partner to the deed on your house can have significant legal consequences. It may be considered a gift such that your partner now owns half the value of the property and the IRS may tax you on the transfer or the mortgage company could decide that a change in ownership triggers their right to collect the whole mortgage right away.
Some rights can continue after death and that makes estate planning very important for gay families. Your estate is everything you own or owe at the time of your death. An estate plan allows you to decide how your property and other affairs should be handled and who should handle them. This is done through Wills, Powers of Attorney, and other private contracts and documents. A Will can allow your partner or other loved one to keep your property after your death. Powers of Attorney can allow your partner to make medical and/or financial decisions for you if you are unable and there are other documents that allow other specific rights. These rights are not automatic for domestic partners and these documents must be prepared properly if your wishes are to be fulfilled.
Families come in all shapes and sizes and all children need and deserve the love and care of the adults that nurture them. Because Arizona only allows a child two parents at a time and only if they are not the same sex, parenting issues can be extraordinarily complicated for our families. Although Arizona does not allow “second-parent adoptions,” we can establish parenting rights through the courts or through other mechanisms so that everyone feels safe and secure. The needs and concerns of the children and parents in our community are important to us.
By narrowing its scope of practice to the Gay community, The J.Ross Firm is better able to provide clients with the highest quality representation. We look forward to an opportunity to meet your legal needs.
Contact Jane on 
Jane O. Ross
The J.Ross Firm
668 N. 44th St., Ste. 300
Phoenix, AZ 85008
Ph.: 602.685.1177
Fax: 602.926.8037
Email : jane@thejrossfirm.com