Family Law

The curious case of the tort and tortfeasor

Child Custody, Divorce, Family Law, Insights, Marriage, TortsJanuary 6, 2016

The curious case of the tort and tortfeasor – While sitting at my desk last night debating which direction to take my next blog, two words kept popping up as I read through a chapter on family liability – tort and tortfeasor. These are common legal words for someone like me who has been practicing…

Read article

Authorized Relative’s Rights and Duties

Child Custody, Divorce, Family Law, InsightsJanuary 2, 2016

Authorized Relative’s Rights and Duties – I want to discuss one more point about the parent-child relationship, and that is the rights and duties of a relative who has been legally authorized by the parent(s) to act on a child’s behalf. It is important to note we are not talking about child-safety placement in this…

Read article

Family Rights and Duties, For Better Or for Worse

Child Custody, Divorce, Family Law, Insights, MarriageDecember 18, 2015

Family Rights and Duties, For Better Or for Worse … For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Those are powerful wedding vows, aren’t they? If you are thinking about getting married, remember that marriage is not only a sacred institution – it is a…

Read article

Defining who is a child, and the removal of disabilities

Child Custody, Family Law, InsightsDecember 9, 2015

Defining who is a child, and the removal of disabilities – Defining who a child is seems like an easy thing to do. It’s anyone under the age of 18, right? True, but that’s only generally speaking. When it comes to Texas law, there is so much more to defining who is a child (or…

Read article

What is a gestational agreement?

Family Law, Insights, MarriageNovember 29, 2015

What is a gestational agreement? – In my previous blog I discussed the parent-child relationship, its legal impact, and the various ways it can be established. One way is through a gestational agreement. We touched on this briefly at the time, but it was too detailed a topic to throw at you in the same…

Read article

The Parent-Child Relationship – A Digestible Overview

Child Support, Family Law, InsightsNovember 27, 2015

The Parent-Child Relationship – A Digestible Overview – How the state of Texas determines who is a legal part of the parent-child relationship carries great legal significance since the relationship can create parental rights and duties, support obligations, inheritance rights, and rights of possession and access. In 2001, Texas became the first state to adopt…

Read article

What is a premarital agreement?

Divorce, Family Law, Insights, MarriageNovember 19, 2015

What is a premarital agreement? – I’m skipping ahead a little bit here, but since my family law blogs over the past month and a half or so have focused on marriage and everything that it entails – the various types, who can, who cannot, legal issues, et cetera – I thought this would be…

Read article

Going For Adoption? Know the Basics First

Family Law, InsightsNovember 14, 2015

Going For Adoption? Know the Basics First – You may be going for adoption for a number of reasons. Either you are a childless parent or adopting a homeless child to fill the emptiness in his life with love and care; whatever the reason, there are certain legal formalities involved which you have to go…

Read article

Meretricious Relationships – Complex and Damaging

Divorce, Estate Planning, Insights, MarriageNovember 12, 2015

Meretricious Relationships – Complex and Damaging – Just reading “meretricious” is complex, don’t ya think? The easiest way to explain this type of relationship – is that it is an “un-marriage.” A relationship is deemed meretricious when two people are living together but have absolutely no intention of getting married – formally or informally. Unlike…

Read article

Marriage Confusion – What is Putative Marriage?

Family Law, Insights, MarriageNovember 8, 2015

Marriage Confusion – What is Putative Marriage? Marriage is a sacred and wonderful institution between two people who love each other. But it can also be the basis for plenty of confusion in the legal system, especially if entered into unlawfully. Believe it or not, illegal marriages happen all the time. And one is called…

Read article