As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and its grip on our nation, couples facing divorce have hit a road block as many family courts have been closed during the lockdown. While Texas family courts are just beginning to open up electronically, cases in the queue are backing up rapidly. In addition, family law firms and staffs are still scrambling to stay operational during the … [Read more...]
Ten facts about divorce that may surprise you
Myths about divorce abound. For one thing, divorce laws vary from state to state. So, quite often, people are confused due to what they have heard about celebrity divorces, or a friend or family member's divorce in another state. To help bridge this knowledge gap, I have compiled a list of ten facts about divorce that may surprise you. You may be responsible for debts incurred by your spouse … [Read more...]
Divorce and Company Bonuses
An often overlooked community property asset to be equitably divided in a Texas divorce settlement is any company or employer bonus given to one or both of the spouses involved in a divorce. Sometimes attorneys fail to address the community nature of bonuses. Or, they forget to ask if either spouse typically receives, or is expected to receive, an annual or other type of bonus as part of his or … [Read more...]
A client testimonial: “Having the numbers in front of you is priceless!”
(by Pamela A.) Going through a divorce is one of the toughest things I've ever done. But like most crises in life, once you go through it, you can look back and appreciate all the things you learned about yourself in the process. You also want to share your insights with others in the hope that you can help. It's not that I did everything right, by any means. But I did make a few decisions that … [Read more...]
How to prepare for divorce mediation
The use of mediation as an alternative to the courtroom has become increasingly popular, especially in the divorce process. It’s affordable, confidential and achieves results. In last month's blog post, I wrote about the many faces of divorce mediation for Houston area couples. Mediation, in one form or another, is now an integral part of most divorces in Texas and many other states. Some … [Read more...]
The many faces of divorce mediation in Houston
Few couples seeking divorce in the greater Houston area realize that their divorces will most likely never get to the courtroom. Instead, most will participate in one or more formal or informal mediation sessions during their divorce process. This is primarily due to the fact that Houston family courts are backed up with cases and now require divorcing couples to try mediation in order to settle … [Read more...]
Four Ways to Get Divorced, Part 2 — Early Intervention or Cooperative Divorce Mediation
Traditional divorce and child custody processes are predominately adversarial in nature. In a typical "war-of-the-roses" divorce scenario, spouses each hire an attorney, and then a variety of expert consultants enter the fray on both sides to produce "dueling" business evaluations, financial analyses and/or custody evaluations. This type of divorce can go on for many months or even years, … [Read more...]