The Colorado Lawyer Publishes Articles on Nontraditional Relationships

• Publication year: 2000
• Pages: 78
• Citation: Vol. 29 No. 11 Pg. 78

29 Colo.Law. 78 Colorado Lawyer 2000.

2000, November, Pg. 78. The Colorado Lawyer Publishes Articles On Nontraditional Relationships

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78

Vol. 29, No. 11, Pg. 78

The Colorado Lawyer
November 2000
Vol. 29, No. 11 [Page 78]

Specialty Law Columns
Family Law Newsletter
The Colorado Lawyer Publishes Articles On Nontraditional Relationships
by Elizabeth A. Bryant, H. Lawrence Hoyt

Gays and lesbians in committed relationships consult legal counsel and appear before Colorado courts in ever-increasing numbers in order to address issues of family law, trusts and estates, employment, standing to sue, and constitutional law The legal representation of these same-sex couples often involves many complex and overlapping issues that are not present in representation of gay and lesbian individuals and that are difficult for counsel to address, given the lack of statutory provision for such relationships. In addition to gay and lesbian couples, many persons in heterosexual committed relationships choose not to marry for reasons both personal and financial. Both of these types of relationships are embraced within the term "nontraditional."

Over the next year, several articles on the legal representation of persons in nontraditional relationships will be published in The Colorado Lawyer. The articles will cover various practice areas and will appear in the relevant specialty law columns. Each article addressing legal issues will include an introduction identifying its focus on such "nontraditional relationships."

Legislative Background

The issue of recognition of same-sex committed relationships also sometimes referred to as domestic partnerships, is part of an ongoing statewide and national debate. On September 5 1997, by Executive Order, former Governor Roy Romer created a Commission on the Rights and Responsibilities of Same Sex Relationships ("Commission") to explore whether the state of Colorado should extend any rights, benefits, responsibilities, or obligations to same-sex committed relationships.

This action followed his vetoes of bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 1996 and 1997, which would have re-emphasized law that only marriages between one man and one woman are legally recognized. After holding public hearings conducting extensive research, and completing legal analyses of existing laws, the Commission presented its report to Governor...