Texas Family Legal Questions

If you do not pay, the lawyer has the right to enforce the attorney's fee order and could take a judgment against you if you fail to pay.  A judgment may be picked up by the credit reporting agencies and result in it being listed as a negative on your credit history. Judgments also may also be filed in the records of any county where you own property and results in a judgment lien against your property.  I suggest that you speak with the attorney and try to work out a payment plan to pay in installments.  The attorney will probably not want to give you a long period of time to pay the installments, but they may be willing to work with you. ... Read Answer

In Texas, the property you own before marriage will still be your separate property after you get married. However, if you make improvements to your separate property, your spouse could makes claims for reimbursement upon divorce. Do you want to make an agreement that all property acquired during the marraige will remain the separate property of each party?... Read Answer

Were you at the hearing when the child support order or modification was entered? It appears that you accrued arrears at that time. Most likely, the AG has an income withholding order to take out an additional amount each month for the arrears. You should contact the AG to verify whether that is true.... Read Answer

If the biological father wants to do a voluntery relinquishment of his rights, you could file for adoption and termination. Even if he doesn't sign voluntarily, you could ask the court to terminate his rights because he has not provided support for the child. Depending on the grounds for termination, it might take longer than if he would voluntarily give up his rights so your fiance can adopt.... Read Answer

You are able to request the court to award you custody or a possession schedule of your grandchild.  If there are court orders regarding the child already, then you would need to start in that same court by filing your suit to modify those orders.  You should not delay in bringing the suit because if you want to have an advantage over a parent in a custody suit in a situation where that parent had voluntarily given up actual care, control and possession of the child to you, you should bring suit so that a portion of the time you were caring for your grandchild is within the 90-day period prior to filing the suit for custody.  That does not mean that you may not bring a suit if it has been more than 90 days, it just means that you do not have that particular advantage over the parent.  You may also bring suit to modify a current order regarding your grandchild or bring suit to establish custody of your grandchild if the child's physical health or emotional development is impaired in his or her current circumstances. If you are wanting a possession schedule so that you are able to see the child, then you must prove that the child not having contact with you will have a significant negative impact on the child.  ... Read Answer

He might sign the required document from the passport office. If not, you would have to get a court order to get his signature.  If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be able to seek help through the resources below:   Legal Aid of Northwest Texas – Free civil legal assistance to low income residents of 114 Texas counties. Eligibility guidelines can be found on Legal Aid of Northwest Texas' website. The Fort Worth office offers clinics on a variety of legal topics including general civil matters, wills, employment matters and bankruptcy. Call 1-800-955-3959 to find out more about Legal Aid, schedule an intake appointment or reserve a spot at an upcoming clinic.   ... Read Answer

You would have to file a Modification suit asking the court to recognize you as the father instead of the other man. You need the current order to be modified so that you can be declared the biological father of the child. Do you know if the current legal father knows about you? If he wants to remain the father, you may have a problem. However, if he's on board with you, it will be easier for you to get the court to sign a new order. You will also have to get another DNA test done through a court order so it will be acceptable by the court. You might find some helpful information here: www.texaslawhelp.org... Read Answer

You say you have a child support order. Does the order include a geographic restriction? That may be the basis of why he filed suit. Be sure to answer the lawsuit and show up for any court hearings. If you get an attorney, he or she will help you present your evidence. If you don't get an attorney, you can find information about how to represent yourself at https://texaslawhelp.org/... Read Answer

You did not mention if there is any custody order in place. I would assume there is none. But if there is, you will want to request the court for modification. Otherwise you would have to petition the court to seek primary custody and give him visitation. Even if you do go through therapy/counseling and they find the father at fault, you can use that as your personal evidence/statements to gain temporary Primary custody while the case is in progress. During the case, the judge may order therapy and psychological evaluations along with appoint an attorney for the child. All of this is not cheap, be prepared to spend a good amount of budget throughout the process. If you are comfortable in representing yourself in court, we do offer Pro Se services to help keep your litigation costs low. Feel free to contact my office and speak with a case manager at 877-866-8665 or email help@smsattorneys.com... Read Answer

This has the ability to reflect poorly on her in court. You should have retained an attorney yourself. If you are looking to represent yourself, you should at least hire an attorney for review and drafting documents for court. The judge will grant you joint-custody if you can demonstrate to court that you are a good father and should be allowed equal time with the child. Feel free to contact my office and speak with a case manager at 877-866-8665 or email help@smsattorneys.com for clarification.... Read Answer

What you are concerned about is understandable and if it wasn't for Microsoft and the booming technology we wouldn't be able to resolve your issue. Traveling back and forth out of state for visitation is riddicules, specially if you are the one footing the bill. With technology, you can use video conferencing with the other parent, and if he refuses to follow, he can foot the bill and come to Texas for visitation. You won't have to let your child travel alone or even take him to drop off or pick up. You will need to work with a techy family law attorney like myself that can fight tooth and nail for your rights. If you require additional information, feel free to contact my office and speak with a case manager at 877-866-8665 or email help@smsattorneys.com for clarification.... Read Answer

Why don't you have joint legal and physical custody? If you have joint legal custody than the custodial parent is obligated to inform you and keep you in part of decesion making process. If that is the case you will need to petition the court for contempt of court and request relief such as more parenting time, and joint physical custody. There is not much you can do if you don't have joint-legal custody. You will need to discuss your situtation and options with a family law specialist. If you require additional information, feel free to contact my office and speak with a case manager at 877-866-8665 or email help@smsattorneys.com for clarification.... Read Answer

The state put the lien on the home because if your grandfather owned the home with your grandmother, an interest may have passed to you when he died. Also, you had a future interest in the home while your grandmother was living. If the house is your homestead, it is not likely that the state could take it.... Read Answer

Yes you can file for custody. You will however have to start the court process while the child is with you otherwise it will defeat the purpose. You will need to have the child in your custody when you start the paperwork. You do have an advantage in the case based on the information provided. However, an attorney will need to review and assess the complete situation to formulate a winning case strategy. A typical case like this can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $4,500 depending on who you go to. Feel free to contact my office and speak with a case manager at 877-866-8665 or email help@smsattorneys.com to go over your options. Licensed in New York and New Jersey but if you decide to represent yourself in court with family law paralegals taking care of the paper-work you can keep your expense at $1,500 or less. Looking forward to hearing from you.... Read Answer

You will need to establish paternity unless you acknowledge that you are the father. If you are the father you will be asked by law to pay child support even if you are unemployed. The only way you can get off child support if the child mother removes you or agree to a deal with you to not pursue child support. Child Support attorneys normally charge anywhere from $2,500 to $4,500 non-trial child support and custody cases. It is best to work with a Family Law specialist so Feel free to contact my office and speak with a case manager at 1 877-866-8665 or email help@smsattorneys.com to go over your options. Licensed in New York and New Jersey.... Read Answer

If the house was marital property than this matter should have been resolved in the Divorce Judgement. You need to discuss your situation with a family law specialist to go over your options. We are based in New York but we do provide services in your state, as well as have monthly payment plans available. Above answer and comments to questions are for general purposes only. Feel free to call 1-877-866-8665 Ahsan Syed, Case Manager. ... Read Answer

Hey Laura, you will need to petition the court to have the other parent contribute towards the expense. We can certainly try to help you evaluate your options. Feel free to give us a call or text for a free 15-minute consultation. Thank You. Toll-Free 1-877-866-8665 Ahsan Syed, Case Manager... Read Answer

Hey Alicia, I have a network of attorneys that specialize in family law. Our attorneys are the most experienced, competent and aggressive. You should give us a call and provide us details of your case and maybe we can help you out. We do provide payment plans and in some cases provide free or reduce fee service. We can certainly help you evaluate your options. Feel free to give us a call or text for a free consultation. Thank You. Toll-Free 1-877-866-8665 // Child Custody Lawyer in Texas... Read Answer

Hey LaDell, You do have a case of neglect. Please contact my office to evaluate your options. We do offer payment plans and affordable options to help out families in need. Feel free to give us a call or text for a free consultation. Thank You. Toll-Free 1-877-866-8665 // Child Custody Lawyer in Texas.... Read Answer