Seriously. This is a real story. New York father and attorney David E. Schorr is in the midst of what appears to be a very tense divorce. The McDonald’s-related events have resulted in a defamation suit against a psychologist in the ongoing divorce suit. I’ll summarize the facts briefly, what it has meant for the […]
Dad unfit because he would not take his kid to McDonald’s Read More »
, next to perhaps the home. Regardless of the value in these retirement plans, 401k plans and pension plans, many couples mishandle these accounts in divorces. The result can be a substantial financial loss for one spouse, sometimes even for both. Today’s post will detail some of the most common ways people in Texas divorces mishandle
7 Ways You Are Mishandling Retirement Plans in Your Texas divorce Read More »
The significance of Mediated Settlement Agreements (MSA) in Texas divorce cases has been reinforced by the recent opinion of the Texas Supreme Court in the case of In re Stephanie Lee. This ruling clarifies that family courts cannot refuse to accept an MSA solely because the judge believes it may not be in the best
As I discussed in a prior blog post and this page about property division, Texas is a community property state. Simply put, the majority of property acquired during a marriage is community property. That community property is jointly owned by both spouses. Under the Texas Family Code, community property is subject to a just and
Fort Worth divorce lawyer explains the presumption of community property Read More »
Among the top concerns in any Texas divorce is the issue of financial cost. It’s not just the cost of hiring lawyers but the costs of all the mechanics of a Texas divorce, including filing fees with the Family Court, appraisals, retrieving financial records, expert testimony and so forth. Admittedly, the cost of attorneys represents the
Ways to resolve Fort Worth contested divorces Read More »
The Texas Family Code allows parties to enter into a prenuptial agreement, or prenup, before marriage. It makes those agreements enforceable so long as they meet the requirements set out in the Texas Family Code. A prenup in Texas is an agreement between two people prior to entering into marriage that contractually determines property issues during
Should I get a prenuptial agreement in Texas? Read More »
A common concern from divorce clients and people looking for information about divorce comes in the form of, “my husband is threatening to…” or “my wife is threatening to…” with something about taking away the kids or all the property. 99.9% of the time those threats have zero basis in the law and are never going
Duress, spousal threats and divorce in Texas Read More »
During a divorce one of the biggest issues in dividing the marital property is dividing the financial assets. Most married people will designate their spouse as the beneficiary on the account or policy. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) governs most employee benefits. It requires married employees to designate their spouse as the primary
What happens to my beneficiary designations after a divorce in Texas? Read More »
There are a lot of misconceptions about how divorce works and how divorce attorneys work. Most of these misconceptions are thanks to television shows and movies that depict divorces wrongly in almost every way imaginable. One of the biggest misconceptions people have about divorce and divorce attorneys is that there is some super secret edge
Is there a benefit to hiring a divorce attorney of the opposite sex? Read More »
When I wrote the original text of this post in the early 2010s this was a novel question with social media still a relatively small part of our society. Myspace had all but disappeared, Facebook dominated social media while Twitter, Pintrest and Instagram were just starting to emerge. LinkedIn was around but nobody really knew
Should I delete social media posts or accounts in a divorce? Read More »
If you received paperwork on a divorce you need to follow the right steps to protect your interests in Texas. Most likely you received these papers in one of two ways. You may receive citation from a constable, other process server, or certified mail. Citation is notice of a divorce proceeding and the divorce decree.
I received citation/service/divorce papers– what do I do? Read More »
A guardian ad litem (often abbreviated as GAL) under Texas law represents the interests of an involved individual but is not that person’s attorney. A guardian ad litem represents the best interests of a person who is unable to advocate for their own interests, such as a child. The person the guardian ad litem represents
What is a guardian ad litem under the Texas Family Code? Read More »
Every few years, articles surface calling for the deregulation of the practice of law. Citing arguments from making it easier to get into the practice of law to making it more affordable, lawyers walk away looking pretty bad operating in a regulated environment. While these arguments frequently raise some valid points, there are a lot
Should the law be a regulated practice? Read More »
In Texas, you can ask for a divorce for specific reasons of some marital problem (fault divorce) or generalized reasons that the marriage isn’t working (no-fault divorce). This division in divorce in Texas is historical but continues to provide some legal benefit in certain circumstances. Depending on the facts of your case and what you
Talk about bigamy today and you might find yourself in the middle of a debate about the long term results of the Supreme Court declaring DOMA unconstitutional; but bigamy is a problem for Texas marriages outside of the DOMA issue. Under the Texas Family Code an individual can have only one spouse and all other
Bigamy, Texas marriages and the Texas Family Code Read More »
Once upon a time the internet was a shady place because everybody was anonymous. Personal email accounts were usually something like Awesomeblossom43598@aol.com and most interactions online came through similar pseudonyms. Then came social media (Friendster, followed by MySpace) and people realized the need for more professional private email accounts led to people self-identifying themselves online
Nothing is private on the internet–Texas employment lawyer Read More »
On July 29th, Huffington Post published a blog post entitled, “We’re Getting a Divorce, Now What?” in which a women-focused financial organization offered nine tips about financial issues to consider in a divorce. I was skeptical going into the article/blog post when I saw it was offered by Women & Co. I’m not skeptical because
Huffington Post blog on divorce almost gets it right Read More »
No. In Texas, protective orders can issue from family courts in divorce suits and child custody actions (suits affecting the parent-child relationship or SAPCR). In these cases, protective orders are commonly issued to prevent somebody from visiting or even being within a certain distance from another person. Typically they will be issued if there are
Divorces are financially challenging affairs for most people. The financial cost of the divorce itself is usually a large, unplanned expense. You may find yourself in a new and difficult financial situation than the one you had before the divorce. You may be new to running your household budget. Your income may be reduced by
Financial Recovery from a Divorce in Texas Read More »
Divorce is a time where preparation, rational thought and a willingness to make long term decisions are critical but these things can be hard to do because divorce is often also a very emotional time. Texas family law attorneys assisting clients in divorces have a responsibility to the legal interests of their client. Some attorneys take
Ten Common Mistakes People Make in Texas Divorces Read More »