Post-Election Stress and Adoption
Yesterday morning, following President-Elect Trump’s win, I met with a young married couple about a step-parent adoption. They were two women, and the meeting opened with tears. It was heartbreaking. Adoption consultations are usually some of our most joyous — a happy couple, either planning for or expecting a child. Yesterday, though, was the morning after […]
U.S. Supreme Court Decision Underscores that Second Parent Adoption Remains Critical for Same Sex Parents
“You still have to adopt your children.” I have said this more times than I can count since the United States Supreme Court decisions on same sex marriage equality United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges. Why? Many same-sex couples who have a child who is biologically related to one parent and not the other […]
Catching up with Connecticut: The IRS Issues Proposed Rulings on the Definition Of “Husband” And “Wife”
In June, the Supreme Court ruled state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges. Accordingly, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has now issued proposed regulations under which marriages between couples of the same sex are recognized for all federal tax purposes, including income, estate, gift, generation-skipping, and employment tax. More specifically, the proposed regulations were […]
Meghan Freed Named to National “Best Lawyers Under 40” list List by LGBT Bar
Meghan Freed was named as one of The National LGBT Bar Association‘s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. Each year, the LGBT Bar recognizes 40 LGBT legal professionals (practicing lawyers, law professors, corporate counsel, members of the judiciary, politicians, etc.) under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and have demonstrated a profound commitment […]
Why, After the Supreme Court Marriage Ruling, Same Sex Spouses Should Still Adopt Their Non-Biological Children
It has been less than one week since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision holding that the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution requires states to license marriages between two people of the same sex and to recognize lawful out-of-state marriages between two people of the same sex. Love won. Very understandably, we have already received multiple questions regarding […]
Meghan Freed to Co-Present Session on Marriage and Divorce Equality for Same Sex Couples at Annual CBA Conference
Meghan Freed and Leslie Jennings-Lax will co-present “Are We There Yet? Marriage and Divorce Equality for Same Sex Couples” at the Connecticut Bar Association’s annual Connecticut Legal Conference. The session will address some of the differences facing same-sex and opposite sex couples in marriage and dissolution, including: residency requirements for couples married in Connecticut who currently reside […]
Freed Marcroft Voted “Best Law Firm”
Freed Marcroft was voted “Best Law Firm” In the Hartford Magazine 2015 “Best of Hartford” reader’s poll. It is an honor and a pleasure to get to work each day with our wonderful clients.
It’s Almost Tax Day: Should Same Sex Couples Amend Their Prior Tax Returns?
Following the Supreme Court’s June, 2013 decision in Windsor, the IRS and the Treasury Department ruled that same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, would be treated as married for federal tax purposes. The ruling applies regardless of whether or not the couple lives in a jurisdiction that recognizes marriages of same-sex […]
What’s the Difference Between Stepparent Adoptions and Second Parent Adoptions in Connecticut?
In Connecticut, the term “second parent adoption,” also known as a co-parent adoption, refers to a legal process in which a child who is the biological child of one member of a couple is adopted either through a joint petition by both members of the couple (even though one of them is already the child’s birth or adoptive […]
Estate Planning and Financial Loose Ends After Divorce
Following the emotional and financial turmoil of a divorce, people are understandably focused on their own well-being, helping their children through the transition, and moving on to the next chapter of their lives. This can lead to their forgetting to consider the impact a divorce has on their estate plans – such as wills, beneficiary […]
