Texas family law courts encourage divorcing couples to create their own settlement agreement. This is sometimes impossible, or at least difficult, when one or both parties encounter roadblocks that prevent them from resolving the issues necessary to finalize the divorce. Common Roadblocks in a Divorce Settlement No matter whether the divorce is contested or collaborative, the personalities … [Read more...]
Dallas Family Law Blog
What is a Custody Evaluation?
When parents are unable to agree on a parenting plan in a divorce or suit affecting the parent-child relationship, the court will intervene. Some courts order a child custody evaluation by a mental health professional or social worker before deciding on how to award parenting time. But what is involved in a child custody evaluation? A custody evaluation previously was called a “social study.” … [Read more...]
Common Divorce Fears
Going through a divorce is a stressful process even if both spouses agree that a divorce is what they want. They both have fears about what their future will look like. These fears are compounded when they have children. Plus, children have their own fears when their parents are going through the divorce process. Most Common Fears of Spouses and How Collaborative Divorce Helps One of the … [Read more...]
Over 50 and Considering Divorce? What Texans Need to Know
Couples over 50 who are divorcing generally have different issues than younger couples. For the most part, they are couples who have been married for many years. Perhaps they have been waiting for the children to become adults and leave home. Now that that has happened, they are ready to go forward with their divorce plans. Issues Specific to Older Couples Some issues that are specific to … [Read more...]
The Impact of Rising Home Prices on a Divorce Case
Home prices around the country are going up, especially in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. That may seem like a good thing for homeowners who want to sell their place and plan to move to an area that has lower home prices. Unfortunately, for those who are getting a divorce and must remain in the DFW metroplex, the rising costs of real estate can have a negative impact on their plans to move … [Read more...]
The Impact of Illegal Drugs or Alcohol on a Divorce
Divorces often bring to light an underlying problem with alcohol or illegal drugs for one or the other spouse. Whether or not it is the main reason for the split, the issue impacts divorce in many ways, particularly in the areas of child custody, visitation and property division. Impact on Child Custody and Visitation A parent’s illegal drug use or alcohol addiction will impact child … [Read more...]
Advantage of Neutral Experts in a Collaborative Divorce
There are many advantages to including neutral experts in the Collaborative Divorce process. Collaborative Divorce is not an adversarial process and one of its stated purposes is to keep the spouses out of court. With the help of their attorneys and neutral professionals who assist in educating and guiding them, the couple can move forward in their new life as single people without hostility and … [Read more...]
Benefits of a Financial Neutral in a Divorce
When a couple begins the divorce process, it is common that one spouse has been in charge of the finances and the other knows very little about the couple’s financial situation. Often, one spouse has earned most of the money and/or one spouse has put their career on hold to raise the children. There is an imbalance of knowledge and awareness of what the assets are and what income the couple … [Read more...]
The Costs of a High Conflict Divorce
A high conflict divorce is one where at least one of the parties in the case is difficult to deal with or at least one of the attorneys seems to enjoy stirring up the pot. Whichever it is, it can substantially increase the cost of the divorce. How a High Conflict Divorce Increases the Cost The main way a high conflict divorce increases the cost is by increasing the number of … [Read more...]
How to Reduce the Cost of Divorce
When a couple decides to pursue a divorce, they always want to know how much it is going to cost. There is no definitive answer since each case is unique. It is generally not even possible to quote a “ballpark figure” since the costs depend on how much conflict there is and how many issues can be settled out of court. The more conflicts there are, and the more times one party insists on a court … [Read more...]