GRGB an integral resource for LGBT family law

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When the landmark decision Obergefell v. Hodges held in 2015 that all states must recognize and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the law firm of Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown was there to help couples adapt to the changes.

GRGB, which has been working with Wisconsin clients for more than 50 years on a variety matters, has recently stepped forward as a resource for those who put themselves in the LGBT category.

Although Obergefell had the primary effect of making same-sex marriage legal, the case also had implications for the laws governing divorces, child-custody disputes, property division and alimony between same-sex couples.

“The state code hasn’t caught up yet, particularly with the presumption statutes,” said Max Stephenson, a GRGB family law attorney. “I saw a need for the people affected by the law to get help in the follow-up laws.”

Stephenson has become well versed in same-sex family law, taking on the sorts of out-of-the-ordinary questions that can sometimes arise when same-sex couples deal with matters related to adoption, artificial insemination and divorce.

“There’s an entire community that needs information, and we want to get that info into the community but also to be a resource that people seek out,” Stephenson said.

“Our firm is really about helping everyone we possibly can,” said Britt Frank, GRGB marketing director.

The goal now is to disseminate as much information as possible about LGBT family law, Obergefell v. Hodges and divorce matters.

As a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the firm holds lunch-and-learn events and works with emerging LGBT leaders. With Frank serving on the board of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center for the past seven years, GRGB has become recognized as a law partner for the center. Firm representatives frequently write LGBT-specific blogs taking up general questions and make presentations at events, such as the 2018 LGBT Business Equality Summit.

“We always want to help people out and make them better off having spoken with us than when they walked in the door initially,” Stephenson said. “You shouldn’t be affected because you come from a diverse background.”