Family and Criminal Law Blog

It’s likely you’ve never heard a person describing their divorce as “pleasant.” Divorce can be best for everyone involved, but that does not mean it isn’t the signal of a major life shift and that can be difficult, to say the least. Divorce, however, does not have to be the all-out battle that is so often depicted in popular media. In fact, many couples manage to find common ground in the process of divorce mediation.

What Happens During Divorce Mediation?

In divorce mediation, a neutral party, the mediator, oversees discussions between two spouses seeking a dissolution of their marriage and facilitates them moving towards mutually acceptable resolutions to some of the issues that can be most contentious in a divorce.
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Have you been charged with a DWI in Texas? The State takes DWI and other offenses related to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol very seriously. The potential penalties you face should you be charged with a DWI are severe and can have a lasting impact on life as you know it. As such, you should be prepared to mount a strong defense against the DWI charge. Here are some of the most common defenses raised against a Texas DWI charge.

Common Defenses to a Texas DWI Charge

For starters, challenging the validity of tests administered during a DWI stop or thereafter is a very common, and often effective, defense strategy in combatting a DWI charge.
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Historically, premarital agreements may have gotten a bad rap. Mentioning putting one in place prior to a marriage was a sensitive subject to say the least. Nowadays, premarital agreements may still need to be approached with a sensitivity to the serious feelings involved, but so many more people view premarital agreements as a gateway to a stronger marriage as opposed to planning for divorce before the marriage gets started.

So, what about these modern prenups helps a couple prepare for a solid marriage with an open pathway for communication and more managed expectations for the road ahead? It is all in what is included in the premarital agreement as well as having those tough conversations before vows are exchanged. We’ll talk more specifically here about what you should consider including in your premarital agreement.
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Did you know that assault is one of the most often committed crimes in the U.S.? In fact, even here in Texas, assault charges have increased in recent years. A serious charge, assault can have far reaching consequences beyond the initial fines and other penalties you may incur if your assault charge becomes an assault conviction landing on your criminal record. Fortunately, there are a number of solid defenses strategies that can be employed to help you avoid criminal liability for assault.
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Parents have a legal obligation to provide financial support to their children. This is true regardless of whether the parents are married to each other or not. In the event that parents are not married, it is usually the noncustodial parent who will make monthly child support payments to the custodial parent in order to uphold their obligation to provide financial support to their child. In order to calculate how much child support one parent will pay to the other, Texas courts use a child support formula which focuses a lot on the income levels of the parents. In most cases, parents are honest and hardworking.
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While adultery is probably the thing that comes to mind most commonly when marital misconduct is mentioned, it is far from the only example of marital misconduct. After all, marital misconduct spans so much more than adultery and infidelity. Legally speaking, marital misconduct refers to any improper act perpetrated by one spouse against the other or against the marriage itself. This means that marital misconduct may include abandonment and drug abuse as well as a conviction of a crime or a failure to support. It may include domestic violence and it may include bigamy.
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The majority of marriages start off with both spouses pursuing their own careers and having their own streams of income. As the marriage progresses and children come along, the financial dynamic of the couple can drastically change. It still remains a pretty common practice for the lower wage earner to leave the workforce in order to take care of the children and household. With the astronomical cost of childcare and logistical challenges that come with managing a work schedule and children, this makes the most sense for certain families. Unfortunately, the person who left the workforce can face steep, but not insurmountable, challenges in the event of a divorce.
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In the face of criminal charges, it is not the time to try and go it alone. Retaining dedicated legal counsel can be the most important decision you make in your life. It can mean avoiding lengthy prison time and steep fines. It can mean avoiding carrying a criminal record around with you everywhere you go, from job interviews to housing applications. The reasons you should hire a criminal defense attorney are worth highlighting as life changing consequences hang in the balance if you are confronting criminal charges.
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Child support involves payments made by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent. These payments are to help ensure that both parents are providing financial support for their child in order to meet the child’s needs. As such, you can probably understand why Texas courts do not take well when a parent fails to meet their child support obligation.
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When a person is charged with committing a crime, there are a number of defense strategies that can be employed to help them be acquitted. Most commonly, a defense strategy will involve undermining the prosecution’s case. After all, as all defendants are innocent until proven guilty, the burden rests with the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. By undermining the prosecution’s case, doubt is cast on it and it can be a barrier to having the jury convinced of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest legal burden to meet in the U.S.
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There are many hot-button issues addressed during divorce proceedings, but one of the most notorious ones is that of alimony. Alimony is paid from one spouse to the other either during or after a divorce. In Texas, alimony is referred to as “spousal maintenance” or, simply, “maintenance.” The paying or receiving of alimony can have profound impacts on the financial life of either spouse well after a divorce has been finalized. It is an important issue and one you should gain at least a familiarity with prior to going through a divorce.
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