Houston TX Family Law Blog
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Divorce on Monday, May 20, 2013
The dissolution of a marriage can be very disconcerting for everyone involved. While anxieties regarding uncertainties may be at an all-time high and emotions at a breaking point, it is always better to keep emotions in check whenever possible. Houston, Texas, couples should keep in mind that a divorce is a major life event and a person would not want that life-changing event to be tainted by mistakes that may have a long-term or permanent effect.
Divorce is about transition, and understanding important matters during that transition helps everyone get through the process successfully and relatively painlessly. It is a good idea to become familiar with the divorce laws of the state. For example, in Texas, separate property and community property are both taken into consideration. Community property refers to property that is acquired by the couple in their marriage, while separate property refers to property procured before marriage. However, separate property can also be property acquired during the marriage if it is in the form of an inheritance. Knowing the divorce nuances minimizes confusion and possible frustration during the divorce process.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Family Law on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Divorce can be costly whether the breakup is amicable or contested. Proceedings can be so exhausting and emotionally draining that many couples are so eager to end them that they make costly mistakes that hurt them financially and create further family law troubles.
During divorce, parents often overspend on their children out of guilt and to try to buy their children's affections, although much of it unconsciously. Parents can avoid this by constantly talking with their children. What kids really want from parents in such a stressful period is to spend time with them. In effect, quality communication and quality time always trumps trying to buy children's approval. The extra communication will also be beneficial when dealing with issues of child custody and relocation.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Family Law on Thursday, May 9, 2013
Couples going through a divorce experience an array of exhausting issues, often revolving around everything from emotions to finances. Divorce concerns, however, are often further exacerbated when the couple is well-known and has a large amount of assets and finances to their name.
Houston residents may be familiar with Joe and Tina Simpson -- parents to reality star and pop singer Jessica Simpson and her younger sister Ashlee. A Texas judge recently finalized the dissolution of their 34-year marriage in April. The couple filed for divorce last September.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Child Support on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The vast majority of Texans don't have to worry about their kids' benefiting from too much child support. In fact, it's downright difficult to get some former spouses and ex-partners to hold up their end of a child support arrangement.
But NBA basketball star Steve Nash, who earns millions of dollars each month, has raised an interesting question regarding the best interests of his three children. The 2-year-old boy and 8-year-old girls are in the custody of his ex-wife, Alejandra, who reportedly earns about $30,000 every month, in addition to the millions she was awarded in the former couple's divorce settlement.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Child Custody on Friday, April 26, 2013
What do risky pictures, venomous emails, compromising text messages and vitriolic tweets all have in common? Well, they can certainly damage your child custody case. Houston parents need to be aware of the possible consequences of going public with certain kinds of information when parenting rights are on the line.
Increasingly, Texas family law judges are considering the fitness of parents based on evidence gleaned from social media. The American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers even reported this staggering fact: in the last year, judges in more than 80 percent of divorces saw evidence taken from social media sources such as Facebook and dating websites.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Fathers' Rights on Saturday, April 20, 2013
The United States Supreme Court recently heard arguments for and against a father's continued custody of his daughter. At issue in the case is the application of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which is meant to prevent American Indian families from being split up. The case should interest Texas parents because, like all custody or, as we say in Texas, conservatorship disputes, the best interests of the child could be at stake.
The story of this particular case began when the biological parents split up shortly after the mother told the father she was pregnant. The father, who was scheduled for deployment to Iraq, moved to another state.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Child Custody on Friday, April 19, 2013
Interfering with a child custody order is a serious crime in Texas. The offense carries a felony status. Parents who want to challenge or otherwise modify a court-ordered custody arrangement should never take the law into their own hands; the proper legal channels are necessary if parents with established child possession and custody orders want to keep their parental rights.
Unfortunately, a father, stepmother and daughter who recently moved to Texas endured a harrowing two days after the mother of the 12-year-old apparently abducted her. The girl was found about 900 miles away, and now the 43-year-old mother is facing a charge of interfering with child custody.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Divorce on Saturday, April 13, 2013
Essentially, whenever two people get married in Texas, state law creates a prenuptial agreement for them. After all, the state has laws that deal specifically with the division of separate and community property. A prenuptial agreement, however, can give a couple more exacting control over how they want their property categorized.
In Texas, separate property is the property that a spouse acquired before the marriage. Separate property is also any property a spouse acquired during the marriage by way of gift or inheritance. Community property is the property acquired by one or both of the spouses during the marriage, so long as the property isn't a gift or inheritance. If a couple divorces, the court will divide the community property as the court sees fit.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Child Support on Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Clearly, not every instance of unpaid child support can be resolved with the paying parent winning the lottery, but that is exactly what happened in one case. Houston residents may have seen national headlines about the recent winner of the Powerball jackpot. The prize-winning father has five children, and before he suddenly became wealthy, he owed $29,000 in back child support for three of his kids.
In fact, a warrant was issued for him back in 2009, and now that he has paid off the back support with a sum of $30,000, the warrant for his arrest has been cleared.
On behalf of The Haston Law Firm, P.C. posted in Fathers' Rights on Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Readers in Houston have probably seen headlines about the divorce and child custody dispute between Deion and Pilar Sanders. Unlucky for them, the details of their contentious marital split have been emblazoned across national media, but these cases can serve as helpful examples for divorcing spouses whose private lives don't receive as much attention as celebrities'.
Former football icon Deion Sanders marked a court victory earlier this month when a jury decided that he should have primary conservatorship, widely known as primary custody, of his two sons, ages 13 and 11. Deion and Pilar will share parenting decisions regarding their 9-year-old daughter.
