Houston Family Law Lawyer

Houston Child Custody Attorney

Allow attorney Terry L. Hart to use his more than 25 years of legal experience to help you and your family. He helps his clients to achieve affordable and effective results in all of their Texas family law issues.

If you have questions regarding a divorce or other family law concern, Mr. Hart will assist you. Contact Terry Hart for an initial consultation or call 877-576-7390.

Divorce in Houston, Texas

The vast majority of divorce cases in Texas are not resolved pursuant to a contested trial. Instead, they are resolved through an uncontested divorce or by agreement. Texas law provides an elaborate set of rules that the courts apply to issues, such as property division, spousal support and spousal maintenance, child custody, child support and visitation. The level of contention on how these rules apply to your circumstances depends on the factual complexity of your individual case and how many assets are actually involved.

In a contested divorce case, Attorney Hart will work hard to protect your rights and ensure you receive the best possible result under the circumstances of your case. He can also help you with all of your name changing concerns.

Child Custody and Child Support

The Texas Family Code defines a standard child custody and visitation order that you and your spouse can use as the starting point for discussing child custody. Parents are also free to fashion their own arrangements, subject to the approval of the Court. Attorney Hart can help a parent, whether he or she is divorced, in need of international custody arrangements or is unmarried seeking custody.

Texas child support guidelines set forth a formula for determining child support payment obligations. Factors considered include the income of both parents, number of children, health insurance coverage, after school activities, daycare costs and other expenses. Attorney Hart will fight to have your orders for support enforced.

Modifications

A custody and visitation schedule that was in the best interest of a child at age two may not be in the child's best interest at age 14. For this reason, you can generally seek a modification of a family law order whenever there is a significant change in your circumstances, your spouse's circumstances or your child's circumstances.

Spousal Support and Maintenance

In divorces where one of the parties has a financial need and the other has the ability to pay, Texas courts may order temporary spousal support (alimony). In certain circumstances, courts may also order post-divorce spousal support or spousal maintenance.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

Parties with substantial assets often enter into prenuptial or postnuptial agreements to structure and manage their assets. Such agreements are useful to confirm understandings and expectations between the parties relating to their assets and for estate planning and asset-protection purposes. People entering a second marriage often also enter into a marital agreement to protect assets brought into the second marriage and to protect the property rights of children from a first marriage.

Paternity and Adoptions

Unmarried parents who go their separate ways face the same issues as divorced parents when it comes to child custody, visitation, support and support enforcement. The one difference is that paternity must first be established before the family court can order child support and approve a child custody and visitation order.

Most adoptions in Texas are family affairs, involving a stepparent, grandparent or other relative adopting a child with whom he or she already has a custodial relationship. The process can be simple or complex, depending on the circumstances, status and attitude of the biological parent whose parental rights are to be terminated as part of the adoption.

Grandparents' Rights in Texas

When parents divorce or separate, their legal relationship, rights and responsibilities involving their children are defined by a court order or child custody arrangement. However, grandparents may feel their rights get lost in the mix. Grandparents may be eligible to pursue rights to grandparent visitation or other rights in certain cases where it is in the child's best interests.

Domestic Violence and Protective Orders

Protective orders and restraining orders serve as a means to provide security to people threatened with abuse — by a spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, parent or other relation. Domestic violence matters are serious. Whether you are being abused or are facing a temporary restraining order, it should be brought to an experienced lawyer you can trust for immediate action.

Contact Terry Hart to discuss your legal questions. Se habla Español.