Fulshear Divorce Attorney
Filing for divorce is never easy. For those that are beginning the process, or who are currently going through it, you may be feeling a lot of complicated emotions and stress. You may or may not be on speaking terms with your spouse and coming together on important decisions may currently seem impossible.
Here at Skillern Firm, we understand what you are going through and a Fulshear divorce attorney is standing by, ready to help.
With a skilled divorce attorney as your advocate, you can move forward through the divorce process. To do this, we will help you and your spouse negotiate the terms of your divorce through effective communication. Where this is not possible, we may utilize third-party mediation, which can help even the most high-conflict spouses move through their impasse.
Using mediation and negotiation tactics can help you avoid costly court intervention, saving you time and money, and leaving control in your hands.
If you want to discuss your options with a skilled family law attorney from our team, call our law office at 936-213-8479.
Skillern Firm – 121 Years Of Combined Service
The team at Skillern Firm has a combined experience of over 120 years. This experience means we are uniquely positioned to take on your case and handle it with the professionalism and dedication it deserves. Our experienced team can help you with your family law issues, no matter what direction they take.
What Makes Us Different?
We understand that a large number of our clientele have never needed to hire a dedicated attorney in any capacity. This can make it difficult to decide on which attorney to hire. Every Fulshear, TX family law firm will tell you they are the best fit for the job, but we recommend you do some research.
The best first step is to book an initial consultation with any potential attorney you are considering. You can ask some important questions and get a feel for your attorney’s personality. After all, you could be spending a lot of time with them over the next couple of months.
During this initial consultation, we recommend you ask about the following areas:
Experience
In our opinion, results speak for themselves, and the best attorney for your case will be one that has worked on many cases like yours, achieving favorable outcomes. You should ask your potential attorney about some of their successful cases, but don’t just take their word.
You should also look up attorneys on independent review sites like AVVO, which place an independent rating on an attorney based on several factors, such as client reviews, peer reviews, years of service, accolades, and awards.
Accessibility
Any attorney that has a proven track record for success will not struggle for clients. Most talented attorneys can maintain a full caseload throughout the year, simply from referrals. A full case load usually a good sign, but you should always ask your potential attorney how busy they are and how they plan to give your case the time and dedication that it deserves.
Whilst you cannot expect to have access to your attorney on demand, they should respond quickly to your queries. If you cannot get in touch with them, then you should not be left waiting for weeks for an answer.
Personality
You could spend a lot of time in person with your attorney and you may have to discuss some highly personal matters. For this reason, you should also assess your attorney’s personality to make sure that you do not clash. Their goals and ideals should align with yours, as it will make the road ahead a lot easier on your side.
Never feel afraid to ask your potential law firm if they can assign you a different attorney from the law firm. It is always important that you feel comfortable.
What Can a Team of Fulshear Divorce Attorneys Do For Me?
No matter what route you have taken to get to the present moment, divorce is almost always a difficult and emotional time for all parties involved. Many of the decisions that need to be made in order for your divorce to finalize are important ones. These decisions are best made from a place of clarity, and unfortunately, emotions can often get in the way.
When you have an attorney by your side, you have an advocate that can advise you from a place of clarity. They can help you discuss important issues with your spouse and their attorney and ensure that negotiations stay on track. They can also represent you during third-party mediation, where you and your spouse can converse through an intermediary from separate rooms.
Besides the negotiations, there is going to be a lot of paperwork to file. Filing this correctly and on time always looks good in the eyes of the courts, whereas errors can be costly in terms of both time and money.
Finally, with complex family matters, such as child custody battles or division of marital assets, having an attorney that fully understands the law and can advise you on your rights can be essential in receiving a fair outcome.
Your attorney will be responsible for:
- Completing and filing necessary documents.
- Mediating and negotiating.
- Meeting all legal deadlines.
- Protecting your assets.
- Negotiating child custody arrangements.
- Helping arrange visitation orders.
Do I Need Grounds For Divorce?
In Texas, there are various grounds under divorce law that you can refer to if you wish to end your marriage. To determine the most suitable option for your situation, we advise consulting with your attorney. Among the reasons for divorce are living separately, insupportability, abuse, adultery, felonies, and abandonment.
At Skillern Firm, our Fulshear divorce lawyers typically handle cases based on the claim of insupportability. Insupportability is when both spouses are unable to reconcile their relationship, cannot come to mutually acceptable terms, and may have tried counseling, but still cannot make their marriage work.
How Can I Prepare For My Divorce?
Divorce always goes smoother if you are fully prepared. If you are currently considering a divorce, but have not yet begun the process, you may be able to gain the upper hand by filing first. In this situation, you can try to prepare everything you need before you serve your spouse with divorce papers.
If you have been served with divorce papers, you will need to get prepared as quickly as possible to mitigate the advantage your spouse may or may not have.
The best way to prepare is by speaking to an attorney immediately. As soon as you get in touch with your divorce attorney and tell them what has happened, they can advise you immediately on what you need to prepare. They will tell you what documents you need and what you will need to provide to the court, such as property deeds, tax returns, and bank statements.
The Impact That Divorce Has On Your Children
Every member of the team here at Skillern Firm understands how important your children are to you. Unfortunately, the divorce process can be particularly difficult for children, especially if there is a lot of conflict and displacement in their day-to-day lives.
Every attorney that practices family law in Fulshear and every family law court and Judge must make decisions that are in the best interests of any children involved. Our law firm recommends you do the same.
We will work tirelessly in our efforts to advocate for you, but our utmost priority is to safeguard the well-being of your children and maintain their stability to the best of our abilities. Our goal is to facilitate a smooth transition for them during this divorce process, minimizing any negative impact on their development.
Skillern Firm – Family Law Services We Offer
As an experienced family law firm, we offer a wide range of family law legal services, such as:
Child Custody
One of the most difficult issues, and the issue that causes the most conflict, is when spouses cannot agree on child custody. When parents divorce, they are often doing so because they no longer love each other to the same degree. However, the love for a child never lessens, and this can make child custody fights particularly tough.
Even when parents sit down together with the goal of creating a plan that is in their children’s best interests, it is common for discussions to break down quickly and anger to arise. Heightened emotions and anger affect the ability to come to an amicable decision regarding children’s best interests.
Child custody often requires a lot of negotiation or mediation meetings before a decision can be made. For this reason, if you are divorcing and you have children, hiring a skilled family law attorney is essential.
In almost all situations, the best way forward is with a reasonable visitation plan, where each parent gets adequate time with their kids. The only reason this is not the best option would be if one parent poses a danger to the children. In this case, you will need to work closely with an attorney to evidence the danger the parent poses to the child.
Even in this situation, the other parent could likely maintain visitation rights, they may just be supervised.
Modification of Orders
Court orders are legally binding and cannot be changed easily. However, for some families, the decisions made in a past divorce may no longer be sensible.
For instance, if one parent has been ordered to pay spousal support but becomes ill, rendering them incapable of working, a Judge may contemplate reducing their spousal support payment for a certain period.
Additionally, if you believe your children are no longer safe under the care of your ex-spouse, you may request a modification of the custody order. If there are concerns about abuse, violence, or addiction, a Judge may consider altering the custody arrangement.
Modifications are difficult to obtain, and you will need to put forward a strong and compelling case of significant change in your circumstances or evidence that your ex-spouse is a danger.
High-Asset Divorce
When you and your spouse have significant assets in the marital estate, marital property division can create a complex divorce process. Often, high-asset divorces involve assets like retirement funds, multiple properties, and investments that may require financial experts to evaluate properly.
Here at Skillern Firm, we regularly handle high-asset divorce cases and the legal issues that accompany them. Our high-asset divorce attorneys have access to a panel of professionals who can help you divide your property fairly. If your spouse is trying to hide their assets, we can help you uncover them.
If you are worried that your spouse will try to take property that should be secured as separate property, such as any asset owned before the marriage, personal injury compensation payments, or gifts and inheritance, we can help you protect your assets.
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Rights
Texas law is clear when it comes to the rights a mother and father have entering into any family law matter. Both the mother and father will be treated equally under the law. Equal treatment of both parents means that decisions will be made based on an investigation of each parent’s merits.
If court involvement becomes necessary, the Judge will look at a number of factors and evaluate which parent has been the most involved and can provide the most stable home for the child.
Enforcement
As court orders are legally binding, you cannot decide that you will no longer follow them. It is crucial that spousal support and other payments must be paid on time each month.
If your spouse is refusing to pay their payments, you should contact your attorney first. If they have only missed one or two payments, it may not be a serious issue. However, if they continue to miss payments, your attorney may need to speak to their lawyer to inform them of the severity of their actions.
If they still continue to disregard their order, court involvement may be necessary. The courts may garnish their wages and, in the most serious cases, may issue a warrant for their arrest.
If your spouse is refusing to pay their payments, you cannot withhold visitation from them as this is a very separate, equally binding court order that must be followed. If you refuse visitation, you are also violating your order.
Recovery of Attorney Fees
In unique cases, your spouse may have a significantly greater amount of financial resources to leverage and they may deliberately prolong the proceedings, hoping you cannot afford to continue.
If you suspect that your ex-spouse is engaging in this type of malicious behavior, your lawyer can seek court intervention to recover your attorney’s fees. However, you must have a compelling argument to present to the court and it is advisable to discuss this matter with your attorney.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is completely unacceptable. If you obtain representation from a Fulshear divorce lawyer at Skillern Firm, we will do everything we can to help. We can apply for a protection order that prevents your spouse from contacting you and we can make sure the Judge is made aware of the abuse.
If you are being accused of domestic violence and the accusations are not true, we can help you defend yourself against this malicious tactic. By disproving these accusations, we can help to discredit your spouse in the eyes of the court.
Spousal Support
Spousal support is designed to help spouses who have sacrificed careers or chances to pursue further education get back on their feet. If spousal support is awarded, one spouse pays the other a support payment, usually on a temporary basis, that allows them to support themselves whilst they retrain or go through education. Once the spouse has returned to work, the payment usually stops.
Don’t Face Your Family Law Case Alone – Choose Skillern Firm!
Here at Skillern Firm, we understand how important the outcome of family law matters is to our clients. After all, the decisions you come to in your divorce are legally binding and could affect your life for many years.
When decisions are this important, you need an advocate you can trust and an advocate that can fight your corner. Our law firm wants to be that advocate.
Once you obtain representation from one of our team members, we can help you through your family law issues. We can help fight for a fair and reasonable outcome in divorce proceedings and child custody battles and can help ensure you receive your fair share of the marital estate.
Our law firm covers most of Texas, including Fulshear, Katy, League City, Fort Bend County, Harris County, Clear Lake, and Missouri City.
Give Skillern Firm a call today at 936-213-8479 to arrange a consultation with a divorce lawyer. We’re ready to help you move forward and into a brighter new future.