We were together for years before we could legally marry. Will our whole history count?

New Jersey often starts the clock at the date you legally married or entered a civil union, not the day your life together actually began. For couples who built a home, a life, and savings together for years before marriage was legal, that can matter a great deal. That's exactly where mediation gives you something a courtroom can't: you two decide. Instead of leaving it to a judge who may only see the certificate date, you can build an agreement on your real history. More for same-sex couples untangling a relationship that predates marriage equality.