The Woodlands Divorce Attorney, Conroe Divorce Attorney

Why You Won’t Get 50% of the Community Property

Rich Shea — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:30:40 +0000

Many people believe property is divided in half as a result of divorce. It certainly sounds reasonable on many levels. Equal division of property is the standard in some other states, but not in Texas. You can end up with a lot more, or a lot less, than 50% of the community property so you better understand the legal standard the judge is going to use.

It may not mean much to you right now, but if you have significant property to divide in your Woodlands Divorce case then the words “just and right” may end up haunting you if you are not prepared. “Just and Right” is the legal standard used to divide property in a Woodlands Divorce; not “equal”, “50/50” or anything like that. The magic words the judge will use to justify whatever decision he or she makes concerning property division is “just and right.” So, what does it mean?

Nobody really knows what “just and right” means. It is a moving target. The legislature put those words into the statute but never bothered to define them. Over the years countless judges have made rulings on what they interpret to be “just and right” in the case before them and that is what your Woodlands Divorce Attorney will rely on to present your case.

Be Prepared

Don’t risk losing a large portion of your property by not being prepared for your Woodlands Divorce. Attorney Richard L. Shea of The Shea Law Firm can represent you and help protect you from losing everything. Call (832) 426-3913 today.

About The Author

The Woodlands Divorce Resource is here to help you with your divorce, child custody, or other family law issue in Montgomery County or Harris County. Many of our visitors come from the areas of The Woodlands, Conroe, Oak Ridge North, Cut and Shoot, and other communities in the Montgomery County area or Houston and North Harris County. If you need legal assistance with your family law issue speak with a divorce lawyer in The Woodlands, TX today and protect your rights. Contact The Shea Law Firm at (832) 426-3913.

Hearsay Evidence Is Allowed (Sometimes)

Rich Shea — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:44:49 +0000

You have to prove your case. At the end of the day no matter how many horrible accusations are traded between you and your ex it is your Woodlands Divorce Attorney’s job to prove your case with the evidence. If a certain piece of evidence is not legally admissible then it cannot be used to prove your case or used against you. Hearsay evidence is generally not allowed, even in a Woodlands divorce case and even if the evidence is offered by the Attorney General. In a recent child support case a trial court allowed hearsay evidence from the Attorney General’s office, but did not exclude it under a narrow exception to the hearsay rules. Let’s take a closer look at what happened.

The Arguments on Appeal

The father in this was is A.J. A.J. argues that the trial court admitted inadmissible hearsay to prove his 2004–2007 earnings for the purpose of calculating child support. The Attorney General argues that Hardy can testify on the basis of hearsay sources because she qualifies as an expert per the Texas Rules of Evidence.

The Court’s Analysis

The trial court found where the parties have adequately complied with their discovery obligations, experts can generally testify regarding their opinions and give the reasons they hold their opinions without prior disclosure of facts or underlying data, unless the court orders otherwise. Trial courts are not automatically required to exclude the expert’s underlying facts or data, even if inadmissible, but instead must only do so when “the danger that they will be used for a purpose other than as explanation or support for the expert’s opinion outweighs their value as explanation or support or are unfairly prejudicial.”

In this case, the Attorney General’s calculation of A.J.’s child support obligation depended, in part, on his earned income for the 2004–2007 period. Although the Attorney General had obtained information on A.J.’s earned income through a subpoena, the underlying records that she apparently received were not properly proven up and thus, inadmissible hearsay. Thus, the court concluded that the Attorney General’s testimony about A.J.’s levels of income between 2004 and 2007 was inadmissible hearsay. Nevertheless, A.J. also testified about his income for the period 2004–2007. According to A.J., it was more likely than not that he had made more than $100,000 every year since 2004.

Hearsay Not Prejudicial

The court ruled that in light of A.J.’s testimony that his income exceeded $100,000 for each year at issue, the evidence supported the trial court’s use of the figure of $6,000 per month as A.J.’s net monthly income. On this record, other admissible testimony, consisting of A.J.’s testimony about his income, supports the figure the trial court used to calculate A.J.’s child support obligation. Therefore, the admission of the Attorney General’s testimony to explain the basis of her opinion was not unfairly prejudicial.

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Child Support for High Income Parents

Rich Shea — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:22:40 +0000

Child support is a critical issue in many Woodlands divorce cases. We previously discussed how the child support guidelines function in a situation where the parent paying child support has net resources below $7,500 per month. If you have more than $7,500 per month in net resources then your Woodlands Divorce Attorney must analyze additional facts to determine how much child support you may pay or receive. Call us at (832) 426-3913 today if you need help with your child support issue.

The Family Code

If the obligor’s net resources exceed $7,500, the court shall presumptively apply the percentage guidelines to the portion of the obligor’s net resources that does not exceed that amount. Without further reference to the percentage recommended by these guidelines, the court may order additional amounts of child support as appropriate, depending on the income of the parties and the proven needs of the child.
The proper calculation of a child support order that exceeds the presumptive amount established for the portion of the obligor’s net resources provided by Section154.125(a) requires that the entire amount of the presumptive award be subtracted from the proven total needs of the child. After the presumptive award is subtracted, the court shall allocate between the parties the responsibility to meet the additional needs of the child according to the circumstances of the parties. However, in no event may the obligor be required to pay more child support than the greater of the presumptive amount or the amount equal to 100 percent of the proven needs of the child.

How Does it Work?

The court must first determine what the proven needs of the child are. If the needs of the child exceed the presumptive award determined from applying the guidelines to the first $7,500 of net resources, then the court must subtract the presumptive award from those needs. The presumptive award for a single child would be 20% of the first $7,500 of the obligor’s net monthly resources, or $1,500. Any support ordered in excess of $1,500 may only be based on the unmet needs of the child. The court may consider the circumstances of the parties in allocating the burden of meeting the child’s needs in its support order.

About The Author

The Woodlands Divorce Resource is here to help you with your divorce, child custody, or other family law issue in Montgomery County or Harris County. Many of our visitors come from the areas of The Woodlands, Conroe, Oak Ridge North, Cut and Shoot, and other communities in the Montgomery County area or Houston and North Harris County. If you need legal assistance with your family law issue call (832) 426-3913 to speak with a divorce lawyer in The Woodlands, TX today and protect your rights.

Houston Father Wins Custody Appeal

Rich Shea — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:42:46 +0000

Revenge and inconvenience are not legal reasons for modifying a child custody order from a Woodlands Divorce. Your Woodlands Divorce Attorney must prove the modification is in the best interests of the child as well as the existence of a material and substantial change since the previous order was issued. Exactly what a “material and substantial” change means is what judges interpret on a daily basis, but a recent case reminds us that revenge and inconvenience are not material and substantial. Speak with a Woodlands Divorce Attorney today at (832) 426-3913 if you need assistance with your child custody modification.

Background

On November 6, 2007, Mother filed a petition to modify the child custody arrangement. Mother’s petition to modify followed Father’s earlier petition for enforcement and access after Mother denied him access to their child. The judge ruled for Father on his petition for enforcement and access.

In her later petition, Mother alleged that K.T.W.’s circumstances had materially and substantially changed since the entry of the previous order. She requested that Father’s “terms and conditions for access to and possession of the child be modified… to reflect visitation in regard to the over 100 mile visitation,” and that, since Father resided in Houston, he should “be responsible for pickup and return for visitation of the child.” Mother further pleaded that Father’s “change of address had caused [her] to incur increased costs.” Father answered and denied that there had been any “change of circumstances which would be grounds for any modification of the present Orders regarding access and possession.”

Discussion

At the trial court level Mother won her case and the judge modified custody to restrict Father’s access to his child. The Father appealed the ruling.

On appeal, Father claimed the trial court abused its discretion in signing the modification order because the record is devoid of evidence that the modification order was in the best interest of the child.

Pursuant to the modification order, the trial court reduced K.T.W.’s visitation with Father to only one weekend per month. To support the change, the trial court found the limitation was in K.T.W.’s best interest because of the “distance and travel time” from Mother’s residence to Father’s residence. The record of the hearing, however, shows that Father had lived in Houston continuously since 2002, when K.T.W. was born. Moreover, while Mother noted that she had moved to Allen from McKinney, Texas prior to the hearing, she agreed the move actually reduced the distance between her and Father. Mother also testified regarding alleged hardships in weekend travel and scheduling K.T.W.’s Taekwondo classes, but her testimony showed the Taekwondo lessons had been successfully rearranged to accommodate the visitation schedule. There is no other evidence regarding any extracurricular, sports, or school-related scheduling conflicts or difficulties. Mother acknowledged that the only change in K.T.W.’s circumstances since the entry of the previous order was that he had grown older. As for the “sporadic and unpredictable behavior” noted in the trial court’s findings, the evidence showed that Father had been late to pre-arranged pick-ups on two occasions, and that on each occasion he attempted, without success, to contact Mother to update her on the status of his arrival.

“The Texas Legislature has specifically stated that it is the public policy of the state to ‘encourage frequent contact between a child and each parent for periods of possession that optimize the development of a close and continuing relationship between each parent and child.’” “To achieve this end, the legislature established a presumption that a standard possession order provides the reasonable minimum possession of a child for a parent named as a joint managing conservator, as in the case here, and such order is in the best interest of the child.” Given this policy and the absence of any evidence to support a finding that it was in the best interest of K.T.W. to limit his weekend contact with Father to only one weekend per month, the Court of Appeals concluded the trial court abused its discretion in modifying the possession and visitation provisions of the previous order.

About The Author

The Woodlands Divorce Resource is here to help you with your divorce, child custody, or other family law issue in Montgomery County or Harris County. Many of our visitors come from the areas of The Woodlands, Conroe, Oak Ridge North, Cut and Shoot, and other communities in the Montgomery County area or Houston and North Harris County. If you need legal assistance with your family law issue call (832) 426-3913 to speak with a divorce lawyer in The Woodlands, TX today and protect your rights.

Child Support Outside the Guidelines

Rich Shea — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:24:00 +0000

The Child Support Guidelines are a starting point. They reflect what the divorce court presumes to be in the best interests of your children. However, like many presumptions in the law, your Woodlands Divorce Attorney can help you attempt to rebut the presumption if it is appropriate that you receive more or pay less child support than what the guidelines provide for.

What Will the Court Consider?

Once your Woodlands Divorce Attorney is able to successfully rebut the presumption that the standard guidelines should apply the court should consider all the relevant factors of your case in determining the appropriate child support. Some of the most important factors the courts have traditionally considered are:

the age and needs of the child;
the ability of the parents to contribute to the support of the child;
any financial resources available for the support of the child;
the amount of time of possession of and access to a child;
the amount of the parent that pays child support’s (obligee) net resources, including the earning potential of the obligee if the actual income of the obligee is significantly less than what the obligee could earn because the obligee is intentionally unemployed or underemployed and including an increase or decrease in the income of the obligee or income that may be attributed to the property and assets of the obligee;
child care expenses incurred by either party in order to maintain gainful employment;
whether either party has the managing conservatorship or actual physical custody of
another child;
the amount of alimony or spousal maintenance actually and currently being paid or
received by a party;
the expenses for a son or daughter for education beyond secondary school;
whether the obligor or obligee has an automobile, housing, or other benefits furnished by his or her employer, another person, or a business entity;
the amount of other deductions from the wage or salary income and from other
compensation for personal services of the parties;
provision for health care insurance and payment of uninsured medical expenses;
special or extraordinary educational, health care, or other expenses of the parties or of
the child;
the cost of travel in order to exercise possession of and access to a child;
positive or negative cash flow from any real and personal property and assets, including a business and investments;
debts or debt service assumed by either party; and
any other reason consistent with the best interest of the child, taking into consideration
the circumstances of the parents.

That is a long list. The details of your divorce case may require additional factors be considered as well. Speak with a Woodlands Divorce Lawyer today if you need help determining the appropriate child support in your unique situation.

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The Deadline for Enforcing Tangible Property Division

Rich Shea — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:58:00 +0000

Deadlines are very important in the legal field. Simply missing a deadline can destroy your case even if you should win on all of the substantive issues. One of the most important deadlines I encounter as a Woodlands Divorce Attorney is the statute of limitations to enforce a division of property contained in a divorce decree.

It happens all too often that after a divorce is finalized by the parties reaching an agreement on paper or a judge issuing an order that one party drags their feet in dividing or turning over property. What can you do? Enforce your rights before you lose them.

The Family Code provides that a lawsuit to enforce the division of tangible personal property in existence at the time of the decree of divorce or annulment must be filed before the second anniversary of the date the decree was signed or becomes final after appeal, whichever date is later, or the suit is barred.

That is it, if your lawsuit falls within this section and you file it too late you may lose your case even if your ex-spouse is in clear violation of the decree. This specific statue of limitations for enforcing divorce decrees only applies to dividing tangible personal property. There are other rules that apply to lawsuits not concerning tangible personal property. Speak with a Woodlands Divorce Lawyer today if you need help resolving an property division issue with your divorce decree.

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How Much Alimony for How Long?

Rich Shea — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:39:09 +0000

Last time we reviewed the basic criteria for you or your ex-spouse to pursue a spousal maintenance or alimony claim in your Woodlands Divorce. If you or your spouse does meet the threshold criteria to qualify for spousal maintenance in your divorce case some important questions remain. How much alimony will you pay or receive and for how long will the payments last? Your Woodlands Divorce Attorney can help you answer these questions.

How Much Spousal Maintenance?

The standard the court uses in setting spousal maintenance is to provide for the minimum reasonable needs of the spouse eligible for alimony, considering employment or property received in the divorce or otherwise owned by that spouse that contributes to the minimum reasonable needs of him or her.

There is a limit on how much spousal maintenance can be awarded in a Woodlands divorce case. The monthly limit is the lesser of

20 percent of the spouse’s average monthly gross income; or
$2,500;

Department of Veterans Affairs service-connected disability compensation, social security benefits and disability benefits, and workers’ compensation benefits are excluded from spousal maintenance.

How Long Can Spousal Maintenance Last?

Spousal maintenance is temporary and does not last forever. A court:

may not order maintenance that remains in effect for more than three years after the date of the order; and
shall limit the duration of a maintenance order to the shortest reasonable period that allows the spouse seeking maintenance to meet the spouse’s minimum reasonable needs by obtaining appropriate employment or developing an appropriate skill, unless the ability of the spouse to provide for the spouse’s minimum reasonable needs through employment is substantially or totally diminished because of: (A) physical or mental disability; (B) duties as the custodian of an infant or young child; or (C) another compelling impediment to gainful employment.

When Does it End?

Spousal maintenance payments can end early if certain conditions arise. These conditions are:

the death of either party or on the remarriage of the person awarded maintenance payments.
After a hearing, the court shall terminate the maintenance order if the obligee cohabits with another person in a permanent place of abode on a continuing, conjugal basis.

Speak with a Woodlands Divorce Attorney today if you need help resolving an alimony issue with your divorce.

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The Basics of Alimony in The Woodlands

Rich Shea — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Alimony and spousal maintenance are still alive. In certain situations spousal maintenance is an option and it may be one of the issues you have to discuss with your Woodlands Divorce Attorney. One of those situations is if your marriage lasted more than 10 years either spouse may be eligible for alimony or spousal maintenance.

Alimony is not automatic once your marriage crosses the 10 year mark. There are several additional key criteria that must be established before a judge can order alimony. Specifically, the spouse seeking support must show that he or she lacks sufficient property to provide for his or her minimum reasonable needs and that he or she either:

is unable to support himself or herself after the divorce through appropriate employment because of an incapacitating physical or mental disability,
is the custodian of a child of the marriage of any age who requires substantial care and personal supervision because a physical or mental disability makes it necessary that the spouse not be employed outside the home, or
clearly lacks earning ability in the labor market to provide for his or her minimum reasonable needs.

Pursuing alimony is an uphill battle. Even if you or your spouse passes the test described above there is a second test. The Texas Code has a statutory presumption against alimony based on a marriage of ten years or longer. In order to rebut this presumption, the requesting spouse must show

he or she has diligently sought suitable employment or
has diligently attempted to develop the necessary skills to become self-supporting during separation and during the pendency of the divorce suit.

The requirement of complying with the diligent job search or skills development is excused if the spouse seeking maintenance is prevented from seeking and holding employment or becoming self-supporting because he or she has an incapacitating physical or mental disability or is the custodian of a child of the marriage of any age who requires substantial care and personal supervision because a physical or mental disability makes it necessary that the spouse not be employed outside the home.

Speak with a Woodlands Divorce Attorney today if you need help resolving an alimony issue in your Woodlands divorce.

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Child Support and Disability Benefits

Rich Shea — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:16:03 +0000

A household where one or sometimes both parents are disabled faces many challenges. Trying to make ends meet on a modest income is never easy. After a divorce in Montgomery County, Texas there may be a new monthly expense, child support. How does a parent receiving disability benefits afford child support? How does your child get the support it needs if one parent is unable to work and receiving disability benefits?

Many families have faced this issue before. The general rules is that if the child receives benefits as a result of the parent’s disability, then the parent should be eligible for a child support reduction. The amount of the reduction is equal to the value of benefits the children receive from the disability benefits program. If the child does not receive benefits as a result of the parent’s disability, then the disabled parent may not qualify for this reduction. In either case, your the Woodlands Divorce Attorney can explain to you the impact of disability on your divorce case.

The specific process the Conroe Divorce Court will follow if disability benefits and child support are contested issues in your Woodlands Divorce are:

First, the court will determine if the parent has a disability and if the parent is required to pay child support;
Second, the court will determine if the child receives benefits as a result of the parent’s disability;
Next, the court will apply the child support guidelines to determine the amount of child support that would be ordered under the child support guidelines regardless of the parent’s disability; and
Lastly, the court will subtract from that total the amount of benefits or the value of the benefits paid to or for the child as a result of the parent’s disability.

Speak with a Woodlands Divorce Lawyer today if you need help figuring out the impact one parent’s disability will have on your divorce case.

About The Author

The Woodlands Divorce Resource is here to help you with your divorce, child custody, or other family law issue in Montgomery County or Harris County. Many of our visitors come from the areas of The Woodlands, Conroe, Spring, Oak Ridge North, Cut and Shoot, and other communities in the Montgomery County area or Houston and North Harris County. If you need legal assistance with your family law issue speak with a divorce lawyer in The Woodlands, TX today and protect your rights.

The Collaborative Divorce Stages

Rich Shea — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:30:59 +0000

A contested divorce case has many stages which you may be aware of. There can be temporary orders, discovery, court hearings, depositions, court hearings, arguing, personal attacks, and more court hearings. If you are looking for a less destructive way to move on from your marriage then Collaborative Divorce may be right for you.

The Collaborative Divorce process in The Woodlands and Montgomery County has several stages, but you might notice they are quite different from the stages of a contested divorce. The stages of a Collaborative Divorce are:

Determining your goals and interests;
Information gathering;
Development of settlement options to achieve your goals;
Evaluation of the options; and
Negotiation of the settlement.

Which Process Do You Prefer?

Collaborative Divorce is a valuable alternative if you want to avoid an unpredictable court fight with your ex-spouse. Speak with a Woodlands Collaborative Divorce Attorney today and learn about your options to achieve your goals.

About The Author

The Woodlands Divorce Resource is here to help you with your divorce, child custody, or other family law issue in Montgomery County or Harris County. Many of our visitors come from the areas of The Woodlands, Conroe, Spring, Oak Ridge North, Cut and Shoot, and other communities in the Montgomery County area or Houston and North Harris County. If you need legal assistance with your family law issue speak with a divorce lawyer in The Woodlands, TX today and protect your rights.