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PLANO FAMILY LAW
ATTORNEY / PLANO DIVORCE LAWYER
Plano Texas, McKinney, Allen, Frisco,
Collin County, Denton, and Dallas
Family Law
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Family law is built on relationships – we
understand and highly value that our family law clients often share very
personal and intimate details of their private lives. Our effectiveness
in assisting our clients is founded upon
developing trusting relationships with our clients,
by dedicating ourselves to the client’s
needs and circumstance and not the case.
Family law matters encompass the joy and responsibility of planning for
the future growth
and care of the family – such as adoption, or the need for a will, or
legal documents to
ensure proper medical treatment and care. If you are in need of assistance
in any of these matters, please
contact us.
However, we also recognize that most often the overriding need for a
family law attorney in Plano and Dallas
is to navigate the legalities of a divorce.
Divorce / Post-Divorce
Proceedings / Child Support
Divorce
Divorce proceedings can be the most traumatic and emotionally trying
event in a person’s life. The circumstances for a divorce range from an
amicable joint decision to divorce to the contentious decision by one
spouse to end the marriage. A divorce is more than just filing documents
with a court; every divorce has its own unique circumstances the spouses
must resolve. Even the most amicable of divorces require decisions for
caring for the children to dividing the property to ensuring the
financial stability of each spouse.
Many couples make financial decisions during the course of the marriage
without the
thought of divorce. One spouse may have completed an
education program while the other spouse delayed their own education
goals to provide financial support for the family. Or one spouse may
have pursued a professional career or developed a business while the
other
spouse had responsibility for managing the home and caring for the
children. While these decisions benefited the family during the
marriage, these same decisions may leave one
spouse in financial
distress after the divorce. It is important that a divorce not
necessarily equally
divide the marital property, but that the division is just and right for
both spouses. If you are in Plano, Dallas or surrending areas, let me help you with your divorce.
How are custody issues decided?
Most often a judge will take great pains to get parents themselves to come to a mutually acceptable custody agreement if that is possible. A decision made by a stranger is rarely completely acceptable to all if the attempt has not been made in earnest. The family court systems of Texas usually have several layers of counseling, mediation and conciliation to attempt to bring warring parents together for the purpose of resolving the issue of what it is in the best interests of their children.
How does the court decide how much child support I should pay?
Texas has established a formula to calculate what amount a non-custodial parent should pay for child support. If your net monthly income is less than $6000, Texas law has established the following guidelines for child support payments. The amount withheld is based on your net income each month.
- 20 percent for one child
- 25 percent for two children
- 30 percent for three children
- 35 percent for four children
- 40 percent for five children
- Not less than 40 percent for six children
Special rules apply in cases of split or joint placement or multiple children in different households.
If a court believes that you are not making as much money as you should, the child support amount may be based on your earning potential. This is income that you could potentially earn.
Can I be put in jail for not paying child support?
Yes. You may be placed in jail for up to six months for not paying child support in Texas. The legal basis for placing you in jail is "contempt of court." Contempt of court is a legal term that means you are not following a court order. You may also be fined up to $500 for each violation and have to pay attorney's fees and court costs.
You have the right to be represented by an attorney throughout a contempt proceeding.
In some cases, the law allows you to be imprisoned for a specific amount of time and/or pay a fine. This happens when you are criminally prosecuted and imprisoned for nonpayment, which is a felony. A felony conviction is sufficient to deport someone who is not a citizen of the United States.
Contact the Tidwell Law Firm Today
If you need the assistance of an experienced divorce lawyer or a criminal defense lawyer, please contact The Tidwell Law Firm. We are dedicated to providing quality legal representation to clients throughout the Dallas / Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex, including Dallas, Collin, Tarrant and Denton counties (Plano, McKinney, Allen, Arlington, Richardson, Carrollton, Grand Prarie, Irving, Southlake, Coppell, etc).
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