As a Dallas employment lawyer and divorce lawyer in Texas it is important to stay on top of developing legal issues in our area. Here is some north Texas legal news from the past couple weeks: Texas Attorney General bleats “legal chaos” if same-sex marriage is not deemed void. Last month an Austin state judge declared […]
March 2015 Dallas and Fort Worth Legal News Roundup in Texas (updated 2021) Read More »
Right now the job market is an employer’s market with an excess of applicants wanting jobs and promotions. This excess of job applicants allows employers to be exceptionally selective about hiring decisions. Even small defects in an applicant’s profile can make a difference in receiving a job offer. Relatively insignificant criminal records like public intoxication can
Is a background check ruining your employment opportunities in Texas? Read More »
This week the media reported on a story regarding a transgender woman and a confrontation at a Planet Fitness location. (You can read the HuffPo story or the Fox News story.) Member Yvette Cormier complained at her local Planet Fitness that a transgender individual was in the women’s locker room. The company has a non-discrimination
Transgender Employees and Restrooms in Texas Read More »
Neither federal or Texas labor laws requires employers to give employees rest or meal breaks for most employees; but there are certain exceptions under the law. There are a number of misconceptions floating around. Insisting your employer owes you a break without legal entitlement could put your job at risk. Common incorrect beliefs include the
Does my employer have to give me breaks and lunches under Texas labor laws? Read More »
Divorce attorneys like myself help clients with divorces and post-divorce actions like enforcement, contempt and modification primarily in Texas. In such a large metropolitan area my clients range in family size, financial assets, post-divorce needs, property ownership and other issues related to their divorce. These divorces can range for very reasonable for clients, particularly with
10 Issues That Will Make Your Texas Divorce More Expensive Read More »
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released its 2014 performance report recently with some disappointing results about how charges of discrimination (the employment discrimination complaints filed with the EEOC) resolve. Of the 88,778 private sector charges filed the EEOC “resolved” 87,442 of those charges. That does not mean a favorable result occurred for the charging
When I draft QDROs in a Texas divorce, one of the parties hires me to draft the QDRO after the judge signs the divorce decree. This is usually not the most efficient or productive method to deal with the QDRO. It is far better to start thinking about the QDRO early in the divorce. Many of
When to start thinking about a QDRO in your Texas divorce Read More »
Under the U.S. and Texas constitutions, all people receive due process. Among due process is the opportunity for awareness of claims brought against you in a court of law. To satisfy due process, the federal and Texas rules of civil procedure require a party sued to receive service of process. Lawyers generally take care of this process
What happens when somebody evades service in a Texas divorce? Read More »
The purpose of a judgment nunc pro tunc is to correct a clerical error in the judgment after the court’s plenary power expired. A motion for judgment nunc pro tunc asks the court to correct the or der so the order matches the judgment. It does not allow a party to ask the court to
What is a judgment nunc pro tunc? Read More »
Yes, Texas requires a divorce to dissolve a common law marriage; but the question is not as simple as you might think. Texas recognizes a common law marriage or an informal marriage as equal to a formal marriage. It requires a divorce (or annulment or death) to dissolve the marriage. The Texas Family Code has
Do I need a divorce for my common law marriage in Texas? Read More »
With cold weather setting in its time for flu, colds and other short term illnesses and sick days from work. Some employers do not have a sick leave policy that allows the employees to take sick leave for minor illnesses. Other people work at an employer with sick leave but the employee exhausted leave under the employer’s
Can I use FMLA for normal sick days in Texas? Read More »
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees of covered employers can request up to twelve weeks of medical leave within a one year period for a serious medical condition of the employee or a family member as well as the birth or adoption of the employee’s child. When the employee requests FMLA leave
Can my employer disagree with my doctor’s FMLA certification? Read More »
As a Texas divorce lawyer, I have written about dividing employer-sponsored retirement plans in a divorce through a qualified domestic relations order, or QDRO. These benefit plans are not the only retirement assets to divide in a Texas divorce. Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, are also divisible in a divorce. A key misconception by many suffering through a
Dividing IRAs in a Dallas or Fort Worth Divorce Read More »