Raleigh law firm helps LGBTQ couples protect marriage rights

Now, same-sex couples in North Carolina are rushing to protect their marriage rights, should that precedent be reversed by the nation's highest court as well.

North Carolina still has a law and a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Those are unconstitutional because of the Supreme Court's ruling in 2015.

A law firm, Counsel Carolina, is offering its services to LGBTQ couples to protect the rights that come with marriage in case it's taken away.

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Simplicity disguised the significance of Kat Starcher and Renee Quijano's wedding day.

"We got married in the backyard. We didn’t want a big gigantic wedding," said Quijano.

"It was like, I don’t want to lose this opportunity, lose this chance to marry someone I want to spend my life with," said Starcher.

They've built a family along with their son and are settling into married life.

"Five years, 6 years? 4 years," said Starcher. "I was like is this year our 5? No, it’s been 4 years."

But now, they worry their rights as lawfully wedded wives are at risk in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

"There’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of anger," said Quijano. "There’s been some tears."

That fear comes from the words in a concurring opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas in the Roe ruling.

He said the court should reconsider its rulings in similar precedent cases - like the one that made bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

Justin Osborn's team of four attorneys at Counsel Carolina is rushing to respond.

"There’s a lot of fear, at least in the LGBTQ community, that that could come back," said Osborn. "We’re a small firm but we wanted to feel like we were doing something."

They're working for free to put together powers of attorney for same-sex couples.

"This is not a perfect measure. This is not a replacement," said Osborn. "But, it’s a little bit of a stop-gap to protect people because there’s some uncertainty down the road of what may happen."

The legally-binding documents provide couples with some certainty that they can make financial or health care decisions for each other.

"If that marriage isn’t recognized any more, we’re going to create a new relationship to make sure you still have those rights," said Osborn.

Starcher and Quijano are working with Counsel Carolina right now to protect their family.

"Just making sure that if any thing happens to either of us, the other is taken care of," said Quijano.

The court's five other conservative justices wrote in the Roe v. Wade decision that the ruling should not "cast doubt" on other precedents.

Still, the law firm told WRAL News it's working with 35 LGBTQ couples, with 5 to 6 more calling every day.