No Attorney’s Fees for Enforcement of Spousal Maintenance
Not one I would have guessed, but thanks to John Kappel’s attention to detail and thorough research, it turns out Texas law does not allow for a party to get attorney’s fees in a
What Constitutes Telephone Harassment?
We often get told that someone is being harassed by telephone, but what does that really mean? There is a great case, Perone v. Texas, which talks all about it in a criminal case context.
Who Claims the Children as Dependents for Tax Purposes?
About this time of year, separated parents sometimes ask us who can claim the children on their taxes. Many parents simply agree that the parent that would get the most benefit can claim the
What is a Social Study?
When parents can’t agree on who the kids will live with the Court will normally order a social study be conducted. This allows for a non-party, a trained professional, to look at the situation,
Alimony Now Enforceable by Contempt
The only thing constant … is change. Prior this change in the Texas Family Code, which takes effect September 1, 2013, you could not hold a person in contempt for failing to pay contractual
Contract Provisions in an Agreed Decree – Now Enforceable
When I started this blog, the first posts I wrote were on what provisions in a decree were enforceable by a court v. contractual in nature, and how each could be addressed if a
Pro Se Divorce Forms – Approved, but with Caution
The Texas Supreme Court recently approved a set of pro se divorce forms, with some pretty extensive disclaimers. Specifically among those disclaimers is that these are only to be used for limited property, no
What Would My Texas Child Support Be?
Ever wonder how much you would pay in child support in Texas? The Texas Office of the Attorney General has on online child support calculator that gets pretty close to figuring out what your
Contracts with Lawyers (2 of 3)
Post two of three deals with flat fee contracts. These are the simplest contracts. You pay the lawyer a set amount for a legal matter and that is it – no variance for how
How to Change Contractual Alimony
First, make sure the clause you are looking to change is contractual alimony and not spousal support. You can get an idea by looking at my post here. If it is contractual, read on! Changing contractual
Discovery Pleadings – An Overview
Too often, the first time someone learns about a discovery tool is when they have to respond. I thought I would list some of the more common tools and a brief explanation. This is
Annulments in Texas
I’ve had a couple of people request annulments… Texas is very strict on when an annulment can take place and the requirements typically hit on the fact one of the persons of the marriage