Anyone who hasn’t engaged in any degree of estate planning may be unfamiliar with the probate process and what it means to accomplish. Whether you have written a will or created a trust, you may have to deal with the probate process. When someone passes away, their assets pass through the probate court. This is not necessary when a trust has been established because the deceased didn’t own their assets; the trust Read More

When you start a business, creating a buy-sell agreement should be incorporated into it early in the company’s life cycle. Though buy-sell agreements can pertain to anything, especially when they are highly valuable assets, we will look at them through the lens of a new business owner. If you understand what they can do for the newly-minted business owner, you can easily apply it to your situation. An attorney can Read More

Fighting may only cause more conflict. Ultimately, the court will do so for you when you cannot arrive at terms with your former spouse. Before it gets to that place, your attorney can negotiate on your behalf with your former spouse’s lawyer, and there are forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) such as mediation. Though we have addressed the benefits of mediation over litigation, the purpose here is to Read More

When most people decide to get married, they take deliberate steps towards melding their lives together. For instance, taxes may be filed jointly, debts are shared, and your spouse's name likely gets listed on a wide array of documents. Consider how many times you have received a form and automatically listed your spouse as your emergency contact.  The point is that you spent a significant amount of time Read More

Myths can be dangerous. Many of them are so common that well-intentioned friends and family members may pass them to you as fact. The risk of these myths is that if you hear, for example, that men do not get custody of their children, you may be significantly less inclined to fight for custody.  The Truth About Spousal Support There are those that believe in old stereotypes in which the father is the Read More

Whether you are buying a home for you and your family for the first time or have completed the home buying process before, terms such as due diligence and escrow can be easily confused.  Unlike an attorney or a real estate agent, you may only be a part of this process once or even a few times throughout your life. It is understandable that someone would need to learn or relearn some of these terms and how Read More

Many people step into a courtroom for the first time when they are getting divorced. Some may have been summoned for jury duty, but they have never been the focal point of a case. It is easy to be overwhelmed at first. There are rules, procedures, and bailiffs (or marshals).  If you are feeling any degree of anxiety about your day in court, take the time to learn about what it will be like. If absolutely Read More

Businesswoman sitting at office desk signing a contract with shallow focus on signature As a business owner, you likely handle a wide variety of contracts. These exist as an extension of your professional relationship with everyone from your employees to your vendors. Regardless of who they are with or what they are for, a contract is meant to protect you. They formalize an agreement between at least two parties Read More

Most people who have become primary custodians of their children plan and count on child support payments. They cover expenses for your children. And, child support payments are court-ordered. Regardless of your level of dependency on them, the state of Texas has stringent laws surrounding payment. If your ex has stopped paying child support, there are actionable steps that you can take.  Where To Read More

An annulment is one of three ways in which you end a marriage in the state of Texas. The other two ways are if one or both spouses passes away—and the final way is divorce.  There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding and myths surrounding annulments, from how you obtain one and who is eligible to get one. If your marriage is annulled, then it never legally happened. People are granted these because Read More