A prenuptial agreement, which British Columbia law calls a marriage agreement, lets a couple decide while things are going well how property, debt and sometimes spousal support would be handled if the relationship ended. Couples who live together without marrying sign a cohabitation agreement, which does the same job. Despite the name, either can be signed at any point in a relationship, not only before a wedding.
They are most useful when one person is bringing significant assets into the relationship, owns a business, expects an inheritance, or has children from an earlier relationship whose interests they want to protect.
An agreement is only as strong as the process behind it. Each person should have independent legal advice, both should make full financial disclosure, and no one should be rushed into signing. When those steps are skipped, a court may set the agreement aside years later, at exactly the moment it was meant to help.
What we help with
- Agreements before marriage or before moving in together
- Agreements signed after marriage or cohabitation has begun
- Reviewing an agreement prepared by your partner’s lawyer
- Independent legal advice and certificates
- Updating an older agreement after children, a move or a new business
How it usually works
- 01
Talk through goals
We discuss what you want the agreement to achieve and what the law would do if there were no agreement.
- 02
Exchange disclosure
Both partners share financial information so the agreement rests on an accurate picture.
- 03
Negotiate, advise and sign
Each partner reviews the draft with their own lawyer. Signing well ahead of a wedding date reduces later arguments about pressure.
Related services
- Division of Property & DebtDividing the home, pensions, savings, businesses and debt under the Family Law Act.
- Common-Law SeparationYour rights when an unmarried relationship ends, which in BC are often broader than people expect.
- WillsDeciding who inherits, who administers your estate, and who cares for your children.Wills & Power of Attorney