Why Visiting A Lawyer Is Great Advice For Many Couples By Chris Levy
Attorney Anthony Barbuto of the Wellington-based Barbuto Law Firm P.A. runs a general practice that handles a variety of legal issues, including family law, general civil litigation and equestrian law, both here in the United States and in Italy, where he spends part of each year. With experience in the realm of family law, Barbuto provided important insight on the much-discussed topic of prenuptial agreements. “The topic of prenuptial agreements is taboo in a lot of households,” he explained. “For one, prenuptial agreements are against some religious faiths, and two, there is this misconception that marrying with a prenuptial agreement implies that the bonds of marriage are weak. Often, when I consult clients for a prenuptial agreement, one of the soon-to-be spouses is not happy, especially in first-time marriages of young couples. The classic criticism is, ‘Requiring me to sign a prenuptial agreement implies that you do not trust me, which is hurtful, and if you do not trust me, we should not be getting married.’ One of my jobs as a lawyer is to educate my clients about prenuptial agreements and to get them to the point where they feel good and confident about them.”
Anthony Barbuto’s practice includes family law, where he often works with prenuptial agreements.
Couples need to understand that divorce is always a reality, Barbuto said, and having a prenuptial agreement makes the process easier. “In Florida, it is relatively easy to get divorced,” he said. “Of course, there are amicable divorces when parties go through the process with reason, respect and consideration. But for many, divorces get ugly and bring out the worst of all involved during an expensive and stressful litigation period that can last years. The latter is what prenuptial agree-
ments are designed to avoid, whereas if a divorce occurs, there would be nothing to litigate, as the terms would have already been decided pre-marriage.” Prenuptial agreements give the parties the opportunity to agree on how property issues will be decided. “For example, if spouses accumulate assets during the marriage, or if spouses enter the marriage with assets, a prenuptial agreement will set forth how those assets will be distributed if a divorce occurs,” Barbuto said. “Prenupwellington the magazine | october 2018
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