Types of Family Law Matters

We Handle

The Houston law firm of Edward Law Group is prepared to represent you in virtually any type of family law matter. A few examples of our varied family law practice areas include:

• Divorce – The decision to separate from your spouse is one of the most impactful steps a person can take. While it might be a difficult choice, pursuing separation and divorce could be the best option for your family’s future. However, many legal pitfalls await an unwary spouse who starts down the path of separation and divorce. Working with a skilled Houston divorce lawyer is the best way to secure your financial interests and your rights as a parent throughout the process.

• Child Custody and Visitation – Divorce and separation can affect more than just the spouses who are splitting up. When a couple has minor children, the outcome of the divorce proceedings will make a significant impact on a young life. Most parents want what is best for their children, but each parent could have a very different opinion on what that is. Custody and visitation can become some of the most emotional and contentious issues in a divorce. Our family law attorneys are ready to fight for your child’s best interests.

• Child Support – Because it involves both a person’s children and money, child support is often another issue that triggers heated disputes for parents as they separate. Courts can order one parent to make child support payments to the other parent. Disputes often center not only on who has to pay child support but also on the amount. While Texas has child support guidelines, the parties can argue for a different amount due to the facts of the case. Other child support issues arise when a parent who is supposed to pay support stops paying or one of the parents seeks to adjust the amount due to changed circumstances.

• Alimony – What’s commonly referred to as “alimony” comes in two forms in Texas. The first, temporary spousal support, involves payments while a divorce is pending. The second, spousal maintenance, involves payments required after the divorce is finalized. Texas sets limits on the duration and amount of support payments. Many factors affect the size of spousal support payments and how long they last. Spousal support can spark contentious disputes because it involves issues like marital misconduct, violence, waste of community property, and one spouse’s contributions to the success of the other spouse’s career.

• Community Property Division – Dividing the couple’s property is often another significant challenge in divorce proceedings. Working with an experienced family law attorney can be critical when addressing such a complex financial matter. Texas follows community property laws when dealing with assets and debts in a divorce. One of the biggest disputes concerns whether the couple’s assets are marital property subject to division or separate property that wholly belongs to just one spouse. When dividing assets and debts acquired during the marriage, the courts seek a split that is “just and right” rather than an equal division.

• Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements – Texas law allows marrying couples to execute prenuptial agreements – often called “prenups” – to spell out how a potential divorce would affect property rights, spousal maintenance and support, and other matters. Couples can also reach agreements about these issues after getting married by using a postnuptial agreement. A family law attorney plays a critical role in executing and enforcing these agreements. You should also consult with an attorney if asked to sign an agreement at the request of your spouse or spouse-to-be.

• Annulment – An annulment is a less common way to terminate a marriage. In fact, to be successful, a spouse seeking an annulment must prove that a valid marriage never existed. A few examples of potential grounds for an annulment include at least one spouse not being of age to marry, a spouse being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, lack of mental capacity, permanent impotence, and fraud, duress, or force in convincing a spouse to marry.

• Paternity Issues – Issues of fatherhood can arise, particularly when a child’s mother seeks child support payments from the man she believes to be the child’s father. In other cases, an unmarried father may bring a paternity suit to establish that he is the child’s father and may be entitled to visitation or custody. DNA tests are typically required for establishing or disproving paternity. Getting help from a Houston family law attorney is vital when dealing with disputed paternity.

• Adoption – Adopting a child can be a joyous event in the life of a family. However, adoption is a highly complex legal process that presents many legal obstacles designed to protect the child’s best interests. Sometimes adoptions involve strangers, while other adoptions involve a grandparent, step-parent, or another relative. Regardless of the situation, the adoption process could encounter unnecessary delays, expenses, and other complications without assistance from an experienced Houston family law attorney.

• Protection Orders – You need immediate help from a qualified Houston family law attorney if you face a credible threat of domestic violence at the hands of a spouse, family member, romantic partner, or ex-romantic partner. A lawyer can help you seek legal protections from the court, such as an emergency ex parte protection order or a final protection order.