Divorce Lawyer's Guide to a Successful Marriage

Humorist Steve Mitchell once noted that marriage is a state that any preacher can get you into, but only a lawyer can get you out of. Despite its dubious title (the "divorce" part could and should have been dropped), this tape actually has quite a bit of good advice for either the starry-eyed or the mercenary-minded about-to-be-wed. "The marriage estate" consists of whatever property the couple jointly accumulate, either through their own earnings, or through gifts and/or inheritances after they wed. Unless specified in advance, everything held individually before marriage becomes jointly owned after the last "I do." Pre-nuptial agreements have their place, according to the attorneys and marriage counselor interviewed here (but NOT four days before the bride is to put on her wedding dress!). Since money is the leading cause of divorce, this matter must be discussed in advance of The Big Day. (Actually, it's rightly pointed out that it's not "money" which causes stress in marriage, but the control and power over it which can lead to splitsville.) Taped in a pretty church (where the director has the bad taste to position the host sitting on the back of a pew), this is an excellent and important tape, one which could be used by college sociology classes, public libraries, and houses of worship which offer pre-nuptial counseling. Aud: C, P. (R. Reagan)