Does a long term partner have any automatic rights to an estate?

As part of the legal review, unmarried partners often do not receive the same automatic inheritance, decision making, or spousal protections that married couples receive. For the issue described here, a coordinated plan may include wills, beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, health care documents, and careful real estate ownership. For this legal issue, the couple should review each asset separately because changing a deed or account title can have legal and tax consequences.