Lecture on legal options for structuring marriage and civil partnerships

The City of Bocholt's Equal Opportunities Officer is hosting a talk on the legal options available in marriage and civil partnerships on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. At 7.00 pm at the Europahaus, lawyer Susanne Tombrink will explain the legal framework governing cohabitation. The event is aimed at interested women and forms part of the district-wide series "Women & Work%$.

Whether married or in a civil partnership: living together raises numerous legal and financial issues that require a reliable framework. This talk provides a comprehensive overview of the existing legal provisions and highlights which contractual arrangements are advisable for couples.

A key focus of the evening will be on the 'community of accrued gains' matrimonial property regime. Under this statutory regime, couples live under a de facto separation of property during the marriage, whilst in the event of a separation or divorce, a financial settlement of assets takes place. For this reason, it is often advisable to draw up individual prenuptial agreements to tailor arrangements to one's personal circumstances. Furthermore, the seminar will focus on the options for contractual agreements in the case of non-marital partnerships. There are largely no statutory fallback provisions for these partnerships, meaning that key issues such as the division of ongoing living expenses, ownership of jointly used items or mutual social security cover must be regulated independently. Susanne Tombrink will address these topics in a practical manner and present other relevant types of contract.

The event will take place at the Europahaus Bocholt, Adenauerallee 59. The District of Borken is accepting registrations exclusively online via the portal of the municipal equal opportunities officers at www.kreis-borken.de/de/veranstaltungen-gleichstellung.