Pre-Nuptial Agreements Shed "Gold Digger" Stigma

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - July 28, 2009) - There is a general misperception that pre-nuptial agreements are only for the rich and famous. Some couples even believe the very mention of a pre-nup can curse the marriage because it plants seeds of doubt and mistrust. In truth, half of all marriages will fail. Since many of these marriages involve children and assets from previous marriages, it only makes sense to protect everyone's best interests from day one. A new pilot program from LegalZoom.com allows California couples to work one-on-one with a pre-screened, authorized lawyer to create and file their pre-nups online.

The "gold digger" myth is founded on the assumption that one partner enters the marriage with more assets than the other. These days, men and women often enter the marriage with careers, assets, portfolios, real estate -- and even children. Since California law only stipulates that assets acquired during the marriage will be split equally, couples must agree upon the distribution of pre-marital assets before they say "I do."

"A prenuptial agreement is one of the smartest decisions any couple can make," said Brian Liu, co-founder and chairman of LegalZoom. "We looked at the reasons why most couples don't file pre-nups and directly addressed their concerns by making the process easier, less confusing, and less expensive."

Any misstep in the creation and filing of a pre-nup can get it thrown out of court during a divorce. That's why LegalZoom's pre-nuptial products include consultation with an authorized attorney. Couples can save money taking this route because they only pay for the lawyer's counsel, instead of paying the same hourly rate for the lawyer to complete administrative tasks like creating and filing the document.

LegalZoom prenuptial agreement packages start at $695 -- a savings of more than $1000 compared to hiring a standard lawyer(1). For more information about LegalZoom's prenuptial services, please visit www.legalzoom.com.

About LegalZoom.com

LegalZoom.com is the nation's leading online legal document and filing service. Co-founded by attorney Robert Shapiro in 2001, LegalZoom.com (www.legalzoom.com) offers a convenient and cost-effective way to take care of common legal needs. LegalZoom service offerings include: Wills, Living Wills, Incorporation, LLC Formation, Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Divorce, Small Claims, Trademarks, Patents, Copyrights and more. LegalZoom.com is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or counsel.

(1) *Based on an attorney's average hourly rate of $250/hour (2007 Survey of Law Firm Economics, Altman Weil Pensa Publications). Neither lawyer fee nor LegalZoom pricing includes required state, federal, or local filing fees.