This information is relevant to you if you need legal advice because you are in a same sex relationship and you are thinking about registering a civil partnership or about ending an existing civil partnership.

Healys' team of gay-friendly, experienced family lawyers can give you expert legal advice about civil partnerships and dissolution.

If you are thinking about registering a civil partnership then you need to think about the following:

• A civil partnership is the legal equivalent of marriage. A civil partnership gives both partners legal security and protection and legal rights. Apart from the romantic aspect, this can be useful for inheritance rights and tax savings and to ensure that a civil partner has next of kin status when health issues crop up.
• As well as giving both partners legal security, civil partnerships also give each partner legal responsibilities and legal rights. Civil partnerships are treated like marriages for social security purposes so you can find benefits cut once you've registered your civil partnership. And your new civil partner has an automatic right to claim half of your money or property of you split up.
• If you want to protect your financial position or regulate how your money and property should be divided on separation then you and your partner can enter into what we lawyers call a pre civil partnership agreement. This is a voluntary agreement signed by both partners before the big day, in which they set out who owns what already and how that will be divided if there is a future dissolution.

Pre civil partnership agreements ("Pre-cip")

Pre civil partnership agreements are the same sex equivalent of pre-nuptial agreements, which have been around for a while and are gaining in popularity.

A pre-cip is usually used where one or both would-be partner already owns substantial assets and both are agreed that it would not be fair for the usual rules to apply and/or for these to be split 50:50 if there is a separation or dissolution in the future.

For a pre-cip to be valid, each partner has to be seen to be making an informed decision to limit their future financial claims. Each would-be partner needs to be represented by a separate solicitor or lawyer and each must voluntarily provide the other with full details of their financial position.

A pre-cip will not be valid if it is entered into after the civil partnership has been registered or if there is not enough time to follow the correct procedures before the big day. If you are thinking about a pre-cip then make sure you plan it as carefully as the big day itself.

Ending my civil partnership

Ending a civil partnership is like ending a marriage, except that rather than calling it "divorce" it is called dissolving your civil partnership, or dissolution.

When ending your civil partnership you can opt for:

• An informal separation agreement in which you and your civil partner agree to live apart and agree how the finances will be organised for the future. A separation agreement can be appropriate when the finances can be sorted out amicably and when neither partner has the legal option to apply for a dissolution straight away. In time the separation should be followed by a dissolution to tie up legal lose ends.
• An immediate dissolution in which your civil partnership is legally ended (dissolved) by court order and the finances are also sorted out either by agreement or by a court decision.

Healys is experienced in advising on civil partnerships and drafting pre-cip agreements.

Healys is also experienced in successfully representing applicants and respondents in civil partnership dissolutions and financial claims.

Our many years experience as specialist family solicitors and lawyers has taught us that each individual situation is different. Healys can help by listening sensitively and giving you straightforward legal advice so you can weigh up what options will work best for you.

When things are amicable we can help you keep it that way, and when things are tough we can help fight your corner.