PRACTICE AREAS
FAMILY LAWDivorce
Divorce cases involve the dissolution of a marriage between two people. The dissolution deals not only with the ending of the marriage, but also the division of the marital estate and the confirmation of any separate estates of the parties. If there are children involved, the divorce also deals with the child related issues. Child Custody There are two general types of child custody cases. The first is a suit to adjudicate parentage and the second is a suit affecting parent child relationship. The suit to adjudicate parentage is used when the parents are not married to each other. The purpose of this type of suit is to legally acknowledge the father of the child and to set out an order regarding the parenting of the child. The suit affecting parent child relationship is used when the parents of the child are already acknowledged but are not longer living together as a family. Once a family separates, this type of suit sets out the parenting of the child after separation or divorce. Parenting includes rights and duties of the parents, possession and access, and child support, among other things. Modification When you have an order regarding the children and it is not working any longer, you may ask the court to modify that order. Modification suits generally include modification of conservatorship, possession and access, child support, or health insurance. Enforcement When you have an order that is not being followed by one party, the non-offending party may file a suit to enforce it. Enforcement proceedings relate to payment of child support, possession of and access to the child, as well as delivery of property awarded to a party. If you are interested in learning more about family law cases, please contact Melissa at (806) 370-3830. |
MEDIATIONThe breakup of a relationship is difficult. Fighting about the breakup simply makes things even more difficult. Texas law permits the parties to reach an agreement regarding their disputes. Through the mediation process, the parties are able to work with a neutral third party to attempt to reach an agreement on how best to handle the division of their property in a divorce, or how best to parent their children in a child custody case.
If you are interested in the mediation process, please contact Melissa at (806) 370-3830. |
PARENTING FACILITATIONThe Texas Family Code provides for parenting coordinators and parenting facilitators in high conflict cases involving children. A parenting facilitator is appointed by the Court. She is not hired by the parents. The parenting facilitator works with both parents in:
If you are interested in learning more about parenting facilitation, please ask your attorney to contact me. Please note that if Melissa is contacted directly by a parent, she will be unable to provide services to the parents. |