Practice areas
Practice areas
John B. Polk handles the full range of Texas family law, as your attorney, as a neutral mediator or as a parenting facilitator.
Divorce
Filing, agreed and contested divorce in Dallas County.
DivorceJohn B. Polk helps Dallas women and men start a divorce the right way, protect their finances and children early, and reach a fair result by settlement or in court.Uncontested divorceWhen you and your spouse agree, John B. Polk helps you put that agreement into a Texas decree that is complete, precise, and works years from now.Contested divorceWhen your spouse will not agree, stalls or plays games, John B. Polk builds your case for trial from day one and keeps the door to a fair settlement open.
Children
Custody, schedules, support, paternity and relatives.
Child custodyJohn B. Polk helps Dallas mothers and fathers build a custody arrangement that protects their time with their children, by agreement where possible and in court when needed.Visitation and relocationJohn B. Polk helps Dallas parents set a visitation schedule that fits their children and their lives, and handles disputes when one parent wants to move.Modification and enforcementJohn B. Polk helps Dallas parents change custody orders that no longer fit their children, and enforce orders the other parent will not follow.Child supportJohn B. Polk helps Dallas parents get child support set on the right numbers, then changed or enforced when life moves on.PaternityJohn B. Polk helps unmarried fathers and mothers in Dallas establish or challenge paternity and turn it into a court order for custody, visitation and support.Grandparents' rightsJohn B. Polk helps grandparents, aunts, uncles, stepparents and other caregivers in Dallas understand whether they can ask a court for time with a child or for custody, and what it takes to win.Interstate and internationalJohn B. Polk helps Dallas parents with custody and support orders from other states and other countries: which court has power, how to enforce an order here, and when it can be changed.
Money and property
Community property, the house, retirement, a business, maintenance.
Property divisionJohn B. Polk helps Dallas spouses identify what is community, what is separate, and what a fair division looks like before anyone signs.Homes and retirementJohn B. Polk helps Dallas spouses decide who keeps the house, how retirement accounts are split and what equity awards are really worth.Business ownersJohn B. Polk helps Dallas business owners and their spouses value a company fairly and settle the divorce without breaking up the business.Spousal supportJohn B. Polk helps Dallas spouses understand what maintenance Texas law allows, then asks for it, defends against it or negotiates an agreement.
Agreements and planning
Prenups, informal marriage, wills after a divorce.
Prenups and postnupsJohn B. Polk drafts and reviews prenuptial and postnuptial agreements for Dallas couples, written to hold up if they are ever tested.Common law marriageJohn B. Polk helps Dallas partners find out whether Texas law treats them as married, and then protects their property, support and children whichever answer the evidence gives.Wills and estate planningJohn B. Polk prepares the core documents a Dallas family needs, so your children, your property and your medical wishes are in the hands you choose, especially after a divorce or remarriage.
Out of court
Mediation, parenting facilitation and collaborative law.
Collaborative lawJohn B. Polk is trained in collaborative law and helps Dallas couples settle their divorce through private, out-of-court meetings, with each spouse represented and the children's future at the center.MediationJohn B. Polk mediates divorce, custody and post-divorce disputes in person at his Turtle Creek office or over Zoom, helping both sides reach an agreement they can sign the same day.Parenting facilitationJohn B. Polk helps co-parents settle the daily disputes about schedules, school and medical care without going back to court, as a neutral who represents neither parent.
Working with John
Consultations, fees and what to bring.
