At Lindamood & Robinson, our experienced, compassionate Houston divorce lawyers are here to provide you with legal guidance regarding what your rights and potential outcomes are in the Texas divorce process. Should you and/or your partner decide to move forward with the process, we will do everything in our power to make sure that your rights and interests are protected to the full extent of the law, so that you are able to move on to the next chapter of your life with stability, security, and the knowledge that you’ve done everything you can for yourself and your family.
Our Lawyers Are Here to Guide You, Not to Pressure You
We can’t and won’t attempt to make your important life decisions for you, and in our combined 90 years of family law experience, we have never once told a client he or she should get a divorce. But when our clients make that decision for themselves, we are here to guide them every step of the way in all aspects of their divorce, from division of assets and spousal support to child custody and support and the ongoing enforcement or modification of support orders long after the divorce has been finalized.
Schedule a Consultation to Discuss all Your Family Law Concerns
Most people neither expect to get divorced nor have much familiarity with what the divorce process entails, and so they have a lot of questions about not only what will happen to their children and property after a divorce, but what spousal and child support may be ordered, and what the steps are that might be required in obtaining a finalized divorce.
Our Houston family lawyers have worked with many clients just like yourself, and we understand the stress, confusion, and concerns that you may be having as you begin this process. When you see one of our lawyers for your initial consultation, we will go over the basics of the divorce process and discuss any concerns you have at the outset.
After your consultation, you will know how long the divorce process should take and the likely results and costs involved. We will cover topics including:
- Division of property (real estate, business interests, personal property)
- Treatment of retirement accounts and QDROs
- Spousal support / alimony
- Child custody
- Child support
- Visitation
Marriage in Texas
In most states, marriage is a contractual union between a man and a woman (husband and wife). The couple must apply for a marriage license, pay a fee and participate in a marriage ceremony, which may be religious or civil in nature. Generally, the legal effects of a marriage are the ability to file joint taxes, rights to survivorship (inherit from spouse) and other tax-related benefits.
Some states are evolving to include same-sex couples as persons able to legally marry. However, states that do not recognize same-sex marriages as legal may not acknowledge such marriages from other states, where they are legal. The definition of marriage is changing and becoming more inclusive of all people in society. As this belief grows in the public, the law may follow suit. Speak with our Houston family lawyers to learn more about Texas marriages regarding persons able enter legally recognized marriages.
Houston & Galveston County Divorce
Marriage is a legal contract and like other contracts, it can be terminated. Divorce, or dissolution of marriage, is the process of ending a marital contract. In contractual terms, when a married couple is divorced they lose all the legal benefits that they enjoyed through marriage and gain the right to enter marital contracts with other people. However, marriage is much more than a legal contract. Parties must also deal with other financial and emotional aspects of divorce, such as property and asset division, child custody, monetary support of those children, visitation, spousal support and others.
Laws on divorce may vary from state to state. Traditionally, states had fault-based divorce or no-fault divorce. In a fault-based divorce, one party must have a legal basis against the other for some sort of wrong that makes continuing the marriage impossible or unreasonable. The wrongs may differ, but generally would include abuse, abandonment, mental illness, inability to consummate the marriage, alcoholism, drug addiction and adultery.
Alternatively, no-fault divorce does not require legal grounds of a wrong perpetrated by one of the parties. There does not need to be a reason for a no-fault divorce. One or both parties may choose to end the marriage and may file for divorce to terminate the marital contract. No-fault divorce is the most common kind of dissolution and the type available in most states. Contact our Houston divorce lawyers, we’ll put years of experience to work for you.
Child Support, Child Custody and Visitation
States have specific guidelines that determine the amount of child support that must be paid. The guidelines and criteria used to make child-support determinations may differ from state to state. The court in each jurisdiction will order an amount of child support based upon the state guidelines and factors such as the parents’ ability to pay support and the needs of the child. Additionally, the court usually has the deference to depart from state guidelines in certain circumstances.
When determining child custody and visitation issues, the court applies the “best interests of the child” standard. To determine the child’s best interests, the court may consider many factors, such as the child’s wishes, the parent’s ability to care for his or her child, the health of the child and the parents, who has been the child’s primary caretaker and if there has been any history of abuse.
Spousal Support
Spousal support may also be known as spousal maintenance or alimony in some states. It is monetary payments from one ex-spouse to the other after a divorce. The payment may be permanent or temporary. Often temporary alimony is known as rehabilitative and intended to help the ex-spouse to become self-supporting. The factors the court considers when awarding spousal support differs depending on the applicable state law. Some commonly considered factors are the duration of the marriage, ability to re-enter the work force, age, health and the parties’ standard of living during the marriage. Consult our Houston family lawyers to learn more about factors the court may consider when awarding spousal support.
Contact our Experienced Houston & Galveston County Divorce & Family Lawyers Today
Call 713-654-2112 to schedule a consultation to discuss your potential divorce matter in a completely confidential conversation with a Houston family lawyer at Lindamood & Robinson, a firm recognized as one of Texas’ premier family law firms. With offices in Houston and League City, we provide legal representation in Galveston County, Harris County, Houston County and surrounding areas.
