"Family-Law Agreements" covers the written contracts couples can use to resolve issues themselves rather than through a court order: separation agreements for couples ending a relationship, parenting agreements, marriage contracts (sometimes called prenups) signed before or during a marriage, and cohabitation agreements for common-law partners. Each serves a different stage or type of relationship, but they share the same basic requirements to be enforceable: generally in writing, signed by both parties, and witnessed.
Both partners generally need to provide full financial disclosure to each other before signing — an agreement built on incomplete disclosure is one of the most common ways it can later be challenged. Independent legal advice — each partner reviewing the agreement with their own lawyer — isn't always mandatory, but it meaningfully reduces that risk, particularly for agreements touching support or property. Agreements aren't necessarily permanent, either: they can generally be changed later, and a properly drafted agreement can generally be filed with the court so a support term becomes enforceable the same way a court order would be.
Someone starting out generally wants to understand, in order: which type of agreement fits their situation; that full financial disclosure and a written, witnessed document are what make an agreement enforceable; that independent legal advice, while optional, is one of the strongest protections against a later challenge; and that an agreement can be changed or, in limited circumstances, challenged. A common mistake is treating an agreement drafted without full disclosure or independent advice as bulletproof simply because both people signed it — a signature alone doesn't prevent a later challenge if the underlying process was flawed. From there, the guides below cover each agreement type individually. For a shorter starting point, see the Agreements Insights hub.