Together for 50 Years, Legally Strangers: NYC Estate Attorney Lists Common Estate Plan Gaps
From unmarried partners to the family pet, the Law Offices of Vlad Portnoy says the biggest gaps are the ones people never think to ask about
New York, United States, 27th Oct 2026 – A couple can live together for 50 years in New York and the surviving partner can still inherit nothing. It is one of several gaps the Law Offices of Vlad Portnoy, a Manhattan estate planning, probate and elder law firm, sees regularly, and one that families often discover only after a death.
The firm identified five things New Yorkers most often leave out of their plans:
1. An unmarried partner. New York does not recognize common-law marriage, so a long-term partner is not a legal spouse. The firm has handled a case involving a couple together for 50 years. “They’re always shocked,” says attorney Vlad Portno...
