Recent high profile divorces, including that of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, have prenuptial agreements back in the spotlight — and legal experts are telling clients it's a good idea to speak to a professional to know options to protect your marriage and your financial future.
This month, Lopez and Affleck filed documents with the Los Angeles Superior Court to end their marriage.
Christopher C. Melcher, a celebrity divorce lawyer, said depending on where a marriage and a divorce happens, it can turn out to be a costly choice.
Melcher said, "if they don't have a prenup that goes by law, in California it's a very expensive place to be divorced ... everything that is acquired in marriage is communal and has to be split 50/50."
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As an attorney, Melcher has to focus on a number of factors in every unique marriage agreement.
"Maybe they have kids from a prior marriage and they want to protect rights of inheritance, maybe they're coming in with a lot of wealth and they want to be realistic about stuff. I don't like these 'I get everything...the other person has everything' prenups. I think it's harmful to marriage," he said.
The stigma of prenuptial agreements has declinedover the years. In 2022 a report from The Harris Poll said that year, 15% of U.S. adults surveyed signed a prenup, which was up from just 3% in 2010. It also found that 35% of unmarried people said they're likely to sign a prenup in the future.
