Some counties actually require it, but for the most part the Judge that is trying the case will decide whether parents of minor children have to attend parenting classes.

Keep in mind that there are several different kinds of parenting classes with differing styles and focuses. For example, while some classes focus primarily on the children, others are more geared toward the parents. The price range for these courses can range from $30 to $75 and they typically last anywhere between 4 hours and 15 hours.

The court may consider things such as who benefited from the items purchased with a credit card, or who caused the demise of the marriage, but typically, courts treat credit cards like any other debt. This makes them subject to a “just and right” division. In other words, the court will try to divide up the debt in a way that is “fair” to both parties.

Keep in mind, however, that because credit card companies are third parties, they are not bound by the divorce decree. This means that if your former spouse fails to pay on an account that your name is also on, the creditor has the right to come after you for payment, regardless of who was court ordered to pay the debt. Should this happen, you may seek recourse by having the Decree enforced as a contract or filing an enforcement action against your former spouse.

Texas law allows a marriage to end in one of two ways: divorce or annulment. You can only do one of these things, so if you proceed with a divorce you cannot then have your marriage annulled. Likewise, you cannot pursue a divorce once you have had your marriage annulled.

Mediation is strongly recommended but not typically required. It’s encouraged because most cases that go to mediation end up settling. Keep in mind that if one of the two parties involved requests mediation, the court will usually order it.

Some local courts require it. For instance, Travis County require mediation in situations where the hearing is anticipated to last more than 3 hours. Hays, Williamson and surrounding counties do not have the same rule, however they do still recommend mediation.

A child doesn’t get to decide which parent they visit or when. That’s determined and ordered by the court, and you are bound by the court ordered visitation schedule. If you don’t turn your child over to the non-custodial parent for their scheduled visitation, the court may hold you in contempt and you could face fines or jail time. However, you do have the right to go back to court and request that the visitation be reviewed or amended if you feel it’s not appropriate.

The timeframe set forth by the Texas Family Code is at least 30 days after your divorce becomes final. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can ask that the Judge waive this at the time of your divorce.

The law views pets as personal property, despite how attached people may be to them. This means that they will be handled the same as any other property being considered in the case. Keep in mind that judges prefer not to deal with pets when handling divorce cases, so it’s always best to try and reach an agreement before coming to court.

There is no specific answer to this question because it is entirely up to you when you feel ready to begin dating again after your divorce. But you should be aware of the impact it may have on your divorce before you make that decision. While casual dating will likely not have any effect on how the court handles issues like child custody and property division, it may have a significant impact on how cooperative your spouse is in reaching agreements in such matters. There are a lot of emotions and hurt feelings when a marriage comes to an end, so just keep this in mind when deciding whether to openly begin dating again.

Yes, the court has the right to do so, and this is actually the most common type of child support collection. Although the non custodial parent has the right to dispute it, the custodial parent will generally go before the court and request a certain amount of the non custodial parent’s wages be withheld (up to 50%).

In most divorce cases involving children, Texas courts consider both parents to have a relatively equal say in raising and caring for the children. This is known as joint managing conservatorship, or JMC, for short. Typically, however, the child or children will reside with just one of the parents for the purposes of school, and the other parent will get visitation with the child and usually pays child support. If the parties involved cannot come to a mutual agreement of where the child will live, the Judge will decide for them.