Resources · Family law guides
Texas family law, answered plainly
Clear answers to the questions Dallas spouses, parents and grandparents ask about divorce, children, property and Texas family law, written by John B. Polk.
SupportHow Texas Child Support Is Calculated, Including BonusesTexas uses net resources, a percentage per child and a cap of $11,700 a month. Here is what counts as income and what happens when it is hard to see.
ChildrenUnmarried Fathers' Rights in Texas: Custody and VisitationAn unmarried father's rights start with legal paternity and become enforceable only with a court order. Here is how each step works in Texas.
ChildrenGrandparent Visitation Rights in Texas: When Parents Say NoTexas grandparent visitation is narrow. The three conditions the law requires, why parents usually win, and what grandparents can do when contact stops.
ChildrenMoving to Texas With an Out-of-State Custody OrderYour old state's custody order still controls after a move to Texas. How to register it here, enforce it, and when Texas can change it.
PropertySeparate Property in a Texas Divorce: How to Prove ItPremarital savings, gifts and inheritances stay yours in a Texas divorce, but only if you can prove it. Here is how separate property is defined and traced.
PropertyKeeping the House in a Texas Divorce: Buyouts, Sales and EquityBuy out, sell or co-own for a while. How Texas handles the family home, homes owned before marriage, rental properties and vacation homes in a divorce.
PropertyHow a Business Is Valued in a Texas DivorceIncome, market and asset approaches, personal versus enterprise goodwill, and what to do when your spouse's expert says the company is worth far more.
SupportWho Qualifies for Spousal Maintenance in TexasTexas maintenance turns on property, need and one of four grounds. How marriage length, years at home, disability and misconduct play in.
AgreementsCan a Prenup Be Challenged in Texas? What Makes One Hold UpA Texas prenup is set aside only on narrow grounds. Timing, full disclosure and separate lawyers decide if yours would survive a challenge.