El Paso Family Law Attorney

If you have a legal issue that relates specifically to your family life, it is obviously an important issue, and it will often be addressed by a specific branch of the law known as family law. Better understanding the basics of family law can put you in a better position to tackle your family law concerns, and an experienced El Paso family law attorney can help.

Divorce

Family law addresses every issue related to divorce, which – in addition to child conservatorship arrangements – includes child support, maintenance, and the division of community property. You must also meet several requirements and comply with Texas divorce laws before your marriage can be legally dissolved.

Your Conservatorship/Custody Arrangements

In the State of Texas, legal custody of your child is called conservatorship, and visitation with your child is called possession of and access to your child. Conservatorship determinations first involve deciding who will be making major decisions on your children’s behalf as they grow towards adulthood, including decisions about the following:

This decision-making authority can be either sole or joint.

Possession and access, on the other hand, relates to the schedule by which your children split their time living with you or their other parent. There is a presumption that both parents will have at least some visitation with their children unless there is a very good reason for denying this right. If the children live with one parent the majority of the time, that parent is considered the primary custodial parent.

Alimony/Spousal Maintenance

Under Texas law, alimony is called spousal maintenance, and it is a payment made by one spouse to the other after the divorce is finalized and/or while the divorce is pending. Maintenance is only awarded when the divorce leaves one spouse with a financial deficit while the other has the financial means to help. Generally, alimony is set for an amount of time that allows the spouse with a financial need to become more financially independent.

Child Support

Child support is generally paid to the primary custodial parent, and it is based on state calculation guidelines, which take income and other factors into account. It is important to make sure that you receive a fair child support order, no matter which side of the matter you are on.

The Division of Marital Property

The division of community property in Texas refers to the fair and just division of those assets that you and your spouse acquired during your marriage. The line between community property and your separate property is not always clear, and this fair division can become very complicated very quickly.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

Prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements refer to legal contracts that spouses choose to enter into either upon marriage or during marriage. These agreements can guide the terms of divorce – in the event that the marriage does end in divorce, but they cannot address matters related to the children, such as child conservatorship arrangements and child support, which are always based on the best interests of the children.

Our dedicated El Paso family law attorney at the office of Richard Deck, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC, is committed to employing their reserves of experience to help you resolve your family law concerns favorably. For more information about how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 915-532-1122 today.