LGBTQIA+

Offit Kurman attorneys provide LGBTQIA+ individuals and families with compassionate, knowledgeable, and affirming legal representation tailored to their unique needs. Whether clients are navigating family formation, custody arrangements, adoption, estate planning, or other legal matters, the firm is committed to protecting their rights and advocating for their families with dignity and respect. Our mission is to ensure that every client feels seen, heard, and supported—because every family deserves equal access to legal representation. Offit Kurman attorneys offer compassionate and strategic guidance on crucial matters such as parental rights, estate planning, healthcare access and relationship dissolution. We are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, where every LGBTQIA+ client feels valued and empowered to make informed legal decisions, including:

Marriage and Partnership Agreements and Dissolution
Amicable resolutions to the various components of a divorce are ideal and encouraged. Once a resolution is reached, a separation or property settlement agreement reflects the provisions agreed to. For example, our attorneys successfully established a marital interest in premarital property by demonstrating that the couple’s civil union, before the legalization of same-sex marriage, should be considered in the division of assets.

Custody and Parental Rights
One of the most hotly contested areas of any divorce or separation is the issue of child custody. Offit Kurman’s family law attorneys offer clients a steady and reasoned voice in a turbulent situation. When a child's health, safety, and well-being are at stake, we navigate dispute resolution and the legal system with urgency and vigor. Our attorneys have successfully obtained a second-parent adoption for a same-sex couple, overcoming jurisdictional challenges due to one spouse’s military status and inability to establish continuous residency in the District of Columbia. They also negotiated a fair and equitable custody arrangement for a transgender parent, overcoming the spouse’s attempt to terminate her parental rights.

Estate Planning
At the core of every estate plan are the essential documents that ensure your wishes are honored. We will meticulously craft your will, durable power of attorney, and advance medical directive to help manage financial and health-related matters during any period of incapacity, and to provide for the efficient transfer of your assets upon your death. Our attorneys streamlined the administration of a complex family trust for a same-sex couple by obtaining court permission to create charitable and non-charitable sub-trusts that would continue to fulfill the grantors’ family commitments and philanthropic wishes.

Other Services
Offit Kurman is positioned to meet any legal need that may arise as a full-service law firm. A case in point: Offit Kurman attorneys represented a young widow whose in-laws tried to annul the marriage between her and her late wife. By blocking the attempted annulment, Offit Kurman secured an inheritance for the client as both a beneficiary of her late wife's pension and an intestate heir of her estate. Attorneys also brokered an agreement among the siblings of a deceased LGBTQIA+ individual concerning the distribution of brokerage assets that were directed to the wrong person through an accountant's error.

Offit Kurman is committed to approaching each matter with cultural awareness, empathy, and respect. We deliver legal solutions that reflect the distinct needs and values of the people and businesses we serve. Our focus is on building strong, lasting partnerships rooted in trust and meaningful connection.