Family Law

Houston, Texas, Board-Certified Family Law Attorney

For more information about a practice area, click on the heading.

Divorce

No one enters into a marriage expecting it to end in divorce. However, the sad fact is that over 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. The process of ending a marriage is often the most difficult, frustrating, and confusing time a family can go through. My goal is to get you through this very difficult time. I am a lawyer who is here to help, rather than to make the situation more adversarial, litigious, and expensive.

Child Custody

A divorce is a very difficult situation for two adults to handle, but it can be much more difficult, traumatic, and life-altering when children are involved. As a family law attorney, I concentrate on what I can do to help you preserve your family relationships with a minimum amount of emotional damage.

Child Support

In Texas, determining child support in a divorce is, in general, a mathematical process. State law provides charts and formulas that explain how much child support you are entitled to receive or obligated to pay. The statutes also provide for factors that can later the clear, mathematical determinations. As a family law attorney with more than 35 years of experience, I can explain how Texas child support guidelines work.

Spousal Support

Spousal maintenance, or post-divorce support, in Texas is nothing like alimony in other states. Texas spousal maintenance was originally enacted as an anti-welfare statute. It provides minimal payments for a limited time to help a non-working spouse get trained and into the workforce to earn enough money to cover their minimum needs. I can help you determine whether spousal support will be at issue in your divorce and what to expect.

Property Division

In Texas, the characterization of property as "separate" or "community” can be a battleground between divorcing spouses. As a board-certified family law attorney, I can help you understand the distinction, protect your separate property rights, and maximize your share of the community property in the event of divorce.

Reimbursement

In a Texas marriage, there can be, basically, three property estates: the husband's separate property, the wife's separate property, and the community property of the husband and wife. If one estate benefits another, then the estate making the contribution is entitled to a reimbursement during the divorce settlement. The amount of the reimbursement is driven by the character of the estate making the contribution.

Child Support / Child Custody Modification

Texas courts have the power to both modify, clarify, and enforce divorce decrees concerning such matters as child custody, visitation, and child support. I can provide invaluable assistance in helping you modify existing orders and protect the rights you acquired in the initial order.

Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

Marriage is love and a contract. Once the love is gone, all you have left is the contract. I can help you draft a prenuptial agreement and protect your rights under such an agreement in the event of divorce. If you wish to simplify you’re your estates after marriage, I can assist you in drafting a partition and exchange (postnuptial) agreement.

Collaborative Family Law

Collaborative law is a process that allows the parties in a family law dispute to resolve their case outside of the courthouse without the trauma and cost associated with the adversarial system. Collaborative law helps preserve relationships after the divorce is over, and is the rational way to proceed if both parties wish to be rational.

Contact me

I am able to offer personal attention to each client and every case. I return phone calls promptly and I will keep you well informed regarding the status of your case. Contact me today to set up an appointment. I serve clients in Houston, Texas, and all surrounding communities.