I posted this on the student board for other law students / lawyers, but I think I'll get more responses here.
I'm in law school and I have worked in a family law firm, where I have witnessed first hand the sh1t shows that can ensue during divorce / custody battles.
I think pre-nups are very important, but when I mentioned to a few of my close girlfriends that I would be seeing a lawyer to draft a pre-nup, they looked at me as if I had 4 heads, or as if I am a cold-hearted bitch.
I don't get it. It's not that I think my marriage is going to fail, I just hate the thought of the government dictating my life (and my fiance's life) should we decide to split. Further, fiance has a fat government pension, so I also think it's important for him to protect that as well. My dad also has a lot of money and property, and I want to protect my inheritance. It may seem cold, but I'm just trying to be realistic.
I don't know. I just always feel like I have to justify and explain myself when people ask me why the hell I am getting a pre-nup. My law student friends seem to agree with me, but my non-law student friends think I'm crazy.
Also (sorry for the ramble), I would be interested in hearing the logistics surrounding your pre-nup? Did you go to one lawyer together? Because I will be a lawyer in a little over a year, I think it's vital to ensure there is no unconscionability, so I will be going to a lawyer first to draft up a pre-nup, and then I will put a clause in the pre-nup which makes it mandatory for my fiance to get his own independent legal advice to ensure that the pre-nup is fair in his eyes.
I plan on discussing the following things. Think I am missing something?: spousal support, division of assets, mat. home, custody (I want joint), mandatory mediation, inheritance, pets (I get them and they are not to be separated.)