Recent Blog Posts
Spousal Support in Texas (Known as Alimony in Other States).
Spousal support in Texas (also called spousal maintenance) is a tool that is implemented to help balance a divorce-based financial discrepancy between exes. If one spouse experiences an economic downturn and the other has the financial means to help offset it, the court may order spousal support. Every instance of spousal support is based on the circumstances involved. Further, if you have questions or concerns related to spousal support in Texas, the best resource is an experienced Fort Worth spousal support attorney.
THE GENERAL GUIDELINES
In order to qualify for spousal support in the first place under Texas law, you must be unable to meet your reasonable minimum needs (in relation to your standard of living prior to divorce). If you are awarded spousal support, its duration will hinge upon a variety of factors, but the basic guidelines include the following:
Answering Questions of Paternity Under Texas Law.
Establishing paternity can be particularly important in Texas. In fact, many fathers often discover that their rights as a parent – such as rights to custody or visitation – often hinge upon paternity determinations, especially in circumstances in which a father is not wed to a child’s mother.
Alternatively, mothers may also find themselves needing to establish paternity, particularly if they want a court to order a father to paychild support. However, regardless of the situation, it is crucial for those involved in paternity disputes to become familiar with Texas law on the subject. For instance, in Texas, there are three ways in which paternity can be established: 1) by presumption, 2) by acknowledgment, and 3) by adjudication and court order.
PATERNITY PRESUMPTIONS IN TEXAS
Under Texas law, paternity of a child may be presumed in several circumstances, including when:
Understanding Child Support Enforcement in Texas
A number of Texas parents are delinquent on their child support and the state has ways of enforcing payments.
When parents decide to file for divorce, children involved in the separation are often forced to go through a financial and emotional transition. In order to minimize the dramatic financial changes that can take place during this hard time, Texas courts order the non-custodial parent to pay child support to the parent who maintains primary custody of the child. Child support can help parents pay for essentials, maintain solid ground and ultimately increase the child’s quality of life. Unfortunately, not all parents who are ordered to pay child support follow through with the obligation, and some children are left to struggle without the financial support they need and deserve.
Texas has a surprisingly high rate of parents who fail to pay child support. The Houston Chronicle reported that the state had more than 460,000 parents who were delinquent in their payments, which totaled nearly $11 million.