Douglas Smith has done about 4,000 family law cases. Many of those cases involve child support. Here are some unique features in cases involving child support. Child support is very much to be expected in any case involving minor children, whether the case is one involving paternity or divorce. The courts are very careful to look for child support
Terminations: Chapter 161 of the Texas Family Code (TFC) governs terminations. Terminations are either voluntary or involuntary. The courts here in El Paso, Texas are very hesitant to allow for voluntary terminations. That’s where the father or mother wants to terminate his or her own relationship with the children. This is rare indeed. But, let’s suppose a parent
When Christmas comes you may be a parent who is divorced. You may be sharing your children with your former spouse. Your divorce decree should contain provisions setting out times and dates you will have access to and possession of your children during the holiday season. MAKE SURE you have your dates and times clearly set
Residency: At the time a person files for divorce he or she must have been residing 90 days in the county where he or she wants to file and be considered a domiciliary of Texas for at least six month. If the petitioner for divorce is in the military (or a military dependent) and leaves
Divorce cases can be terribly stressful, but, once it appears there is going to be a divorce case, with you as petitioner or as respondent, there are some practical things you can do to help your attorney prepare your case. You could call this your tool chest of documents that you will need to secure
Let’s look at some terminology for a minute! In Texas we don’t use the terms “custody”, “primary custody”, “physical custody” or “legal custody”. These terms may appear in divorce decrees from other states, but in Texas we talk about sole managing conservatorship and joint managing conservatorship. Here is some language right out of the Texas Family