Rule 11 agreements are terms that a party can agree on and have the same affect as a court order. So long as the agreement satisfies the requirements of Texas Civil Procedure 11, these agreements are enforceable. Can I get out of a Rule 11 agreement that I entered into…
What if I don’t like how the court divided the property in my divorce? Can I appeal it? You can try and appeal the courts division of your property in a divorce settlement but the appeals court will have a certain standard that they will use when reviewing the trial…
When someone decides to become a lawyer he or she must go through a rigorous process before becoming certified to practice law. It is required that he or she complete law school, which can take anywhere from to three or four years, and pass an extensive exam. During the course…
Usually, it is in the best interest of a child to live with their parent. This is not always the case though, and there are times that a court may need to terminate the rights of a parent. The court will terminate a parent-child relationship if it finds it to…
How do I prove that I am in a common law marriage? Texas is a state that recognizes common law/informal marriages but certain elements must be met to prove that a common law marriage between a man and woman exists. Section 2.4019(a)(2) of the Texas Family Code establishes these elements.…
When you are married, you and your spouse accumulate debts together. Most likely, those debts are either in one or both of your names. From a divorce attorney’s perspective, it is always best if the debt is in your name or your spouse’s name and it is associated with an…
I have answered this question time and time again for people and the answer is always the same—nothing good would come of you representing yourself. While law school does not prepare us for everything the legal world has to throw our way, it definitely prepares us to analyze legal issues…
Many parents worry about paying for the children’s medical expenses after divorce. If you have a final decree or custody order there should be provisions that detail how the children’s medical expenses will be split among the parents. Typically, one parent is ordered to maintain or obtain health insurance coverage for…
The most common adoption that we encounter is that of a stepparent. In many cases, the stepparent has substituted for years as the child’s biological parent that has been absent from their life. That is, the stepparent cares for the child, provides for the child, consoles the child, and does…
As a general rule in Texas, all property that you acquire during marriage is community property. There are some exceptions in which property can be deemed one spouse’s separate property. These are pretty basic concepts but the issues arise when property is commingled or wasted by another spouse and how…