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A child support obligation usually continues until the child in question reaches the age of majority—18 in Texas.  A maintenance obligation continues for the duration of the court order—up to ten years for marriages of 30 years or more.  For maintenance obligations, the paying spouse may petition a court to terminate the obligation once the… Read More »

In Texas, the guiding principal when deciding visitation issues is the best interests of the child.  Normally, courts presume that it is in the best interests of the child to have some contact with each of his or her natural parents. Thus, Texas public policy is to encourage continued involvement by both parents, even after… Read More »

There are many grounds for divorce under the Texas Family Code.  These include adultery, imprisonment, cruelty, abandonment, and living separate and apart.  All of these are fault grounds, which the party seeking the divorce must offer evidence to prove before a court can issue a divorce decree.  This can complicate the process, especially if the… Read More »

In Texas and most other states, the best interests of the child is the deciding standard in child custody, visitation, and support matters as well as placement of children in the custody of the Department of Family and Protective Services.  But the words themselves provide little insight into their practical application. In fact, this standard… Read More »

Like many states, Texas has adopted the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) to govern jurisdiction and procedures in paternity and child support suits.  Under the UPA, a court may order genetic testing upon the request of a party in a paternity suit.  Genetic testing, however, may not always be necessary to establish paternity. The UPA provides… Read More »

Family law disputes are emotionally charged and deeply subjective.  These can include divorce, property division, alimony, support, child custody, and visitation.  Parents and couples have many options when dealing with these issues, but they can only take advantage of these options if they are well informed.  An experienced Texas family law attorney can provide valuable… Read More »

In the past, the Texas Family Code restricted the availability of alimony—called maintenance in Texas—to the following: Spouses who were victims of domestic violence Spouses leaving a marriage of 10 years or longer who were unable to support themselves due to a mental or physical disability Spouses who were unable to obtain employment due to… Read More »

An excellent divorce settlement or order does not amount to much if your former spouse simply refuses to honor his obligations.  For women who rely on support payments and maintenance to provide for themselves and their children, this can create a vicious cycle where the lack of support makes it financially difficult to enforce a… Read More »

In most family law disputes relating to children, courts in Texas place primary importance on the well-being of the child involved.  In making its initial child custody determination, a Texas court constructs a child custody and visitation plan that appears to be in the best interests of the child.  In order to establish stability and… Read More »

Our society has grown increasingly mobile and people often live in several different cities and states during the course of a lifetime.  Such increasing mobility has created a number of issues regarding what state should have jurisdiction in child custody matters when the parents reside in different states. Fortunately, Texas and many other states adopted… Read More »