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Harris County Texas Family Law Lawyer

Even for the most composed individual, dealing with issues regarding family law can be stressful. When children, loved ones, and ex-spouses are involved, it can be easy to lose control of your emotions.

When this happens, it can help to have a team of family law attorneys behind you. As experienced negotiators and mediators, they can defuse the situation and help you and your ex-spouse come to fair and reasonable agreements.

When it comes to family law matters, hiring a family law attorney may be the smartest decision you ever make.

Get in Touch With Skillern Firm Today!

As a law firm with a long history of successful cases, we can draw upon the experience we have gained from our countless victories in similar cases to yours. Our family law attorneys are excellent mediators and are equally as skilled in litigation. This means that no matter what way your case goes, we are equipped and ready to help.

When you call our offices, we will arrange an initial consultation. This is a great place to ask any important questions you may have and get a feel for your potential attorney. You can walk away after this meeting if you feel we aren’t the right fit, or you can agree to representation and arrange a more serious case evaluation.

In this meeting, we will explain all our fees and discuss your expectations. If you agree, we won’t waste any time and will spring into action using our vast resources to fight your corner.

Call our law office in Harris County, TX, today at 936-213-8479 to speak to an attorney about your family law matter.

How Can an Experienced Family Law Attorney Help

One of the most important roles that a family law attorney takes on is that of a negotiator. The vast majority of divorce cases involve mediation between two clients, such as ex-spouses, and creates a safe and calm space for them to discuss important arrangements through their attorneys. When tempers begin to rise, and discussions break down, the negotiator, or mediator, will defuse the situation or, if this is not possible, will end the meeting.

When it comes to making decisions regarding the rest of your life, or the rest of your children’s lives, this mediation is key. When ex-spouses get emotional, they may make spiteful comments or make decisions from a place of anger. While this anger and emotion stem from their love for their children, it can quickly cloud their judgment to the point where the decisions are actually not in the best interests of the children involved.

If mediation or negotiation isn’t possible, it will be down to your attorney to advocate on your behalf in front of the Judge in a family law court. If the other party has representation and you do not, you will be at a massive disadvantage.

Our Practice Areas

Here at Skillern Firm, we cover all types of family law:

Divorce Cases

Spouses rarely divorce on amicable terms. Usually, one party has made the decision, and one is unhappy about it. This often leads to arguments between the parties that break down discussions.

We will work with you and your spouse or their attorney, opening up the discussion in a calm and controlled manner. With mediation, many couples are surprised by what they can achieve. This also reduces conflict, which is especially important if there are any children involved.

We will always ensure that we take the time to keep you informed and educated about your rights and options. This approach to the attorney-client relationship ensures that you can make the best possible decisions from a place of clarity.

Contested Divorce

In a contested divorce, spouses cannot come to an agreement on aspects of their divorce. This might be spousal support payments, the divisions of the marital estate, or child custody.

This can lead to costly legal fees, especially if the decisions need to be made by a family law Judge.

The best way to avoid this is to seek the help of a divorce lawyer who is a strong mediator. They will help you and your spouse come to an agreement without the need for court intervention.

Child Custody

Child custody is always a sore topic. Even though both parents love their children, they rarely agree on what that looks like in terms of custody. Your attorney will balance your needs with your child’s needs and will help you and your spouse come to an agreement that is in the child’s best interests.

Child custody discussions have the potential to explode easily, which is why a strong negotiator who knows how to defuse a tense meeting is worth retaining. This prevents parents from making decisions that are not ultimately in the child’s best interests simply because they were emotional and angry at the time.

It is always in the best interest of the child to have access to both parents as long as they do not pose a danger to the child. We believe this, and the courts believe this too, so coming to an arrangement that is fair and reasonable should always be the goal.

Remember, your child is the most important thing, and this means you need to put their needs above everything else.

Marital Estate Division

Dividing marriage worth of property and assets is another topic where arguments are common between spouses. Often, the spouse who provides for the family believes they deserve a higher percentage of the split. The other spouse, however, may have sacrificed career and income potential in order to look after the family home and the children.

High-Asset Divorce and Property Division

When the assets involved in a marriage are high-value, it is often a more complex task to divide them. Property, investments, retirement funds, and stocks and shares can be difficult to value and may require external help from financial experts.

Your attorney will have access to a panel of experts that can help you value all of the marital assets, including assets that are hidden or those that may be worth a lot more later on down the line.

Child Support

When you are married and have kids, you both assume responsibilities to ensure that the child’s needs, both financial and emotional, are met. This means that together you ensure the child is clothed, fed, educated, and loved.

This can take a variety of different shapes. One spouse may decide to quit their job or reduce their hours so they can spend more time looking after the children. They may sacrifice a career, and this needs to be considered when you divorce.

When you divorce, the spouse who sacrificed their career to look after the family home and the children may win custody. This means they will have a larger financial burden when it comes to looking after the children. To combat this, child support may be awarded.

Child support is usually paid by the parent who does not have custody to the parent who does. This covers things like the additional cost of housing the child, feeding them each day, and clothing them.

A good Harris County, TX, family law attorney will be able to work out what is a fair and reasonable amount of child support to pay. The more family law cases they have dealt with, the easier it will be for them to do this.

Court Order Modifications

Court orders are serious binding documents that place legal responsibilities on those named within. This means they need to be followed to the letter. If you do not follow them, you could be held in contempt of court.

Court orders can include things like child support, child custody arrangements, and spousal support. This means that even if your circumstances change, you cannot simply decide not to follow them.

That does not mean, however, that you cannot have a court order changed or modified. With the right evidence of a large change in circumstances, the courts may allow for a court order modification.

The courts will always treat it seriously if you believe your spouse poses a danger to your children. If you suspect your ex-spouse is being violent, abusive, or abusing alcohol or drugs, the court will always listen to your case.

The courts will also consider a modification if you can evidence that your circumstances have changed and the order is no longer suitable for you. An example of this may be if you have lost your job, or house, or have developed a disability that means you cannot work in the same capacity. This may mean that you can no longer pay your child support.

Getting a court order modification is never easy. You will need to work with an experienced family law attorney to put forward a strong case backed with evidence.

Recovery of Attorney Fees

If you are fighting against a spouse that has significantly higher assets than you, they may attempt to draw out the legal battle in an attempt to price you out.

This is an unfair tactic, and if your spouse is engaging in this behavior, you should tell your attorney. If you and your attorney can present a strong argument to the Judge that this is happening, the Judge may decide to recover your fees from your spouse.

Enforcement

As court orders are legally binding, they must be followed to the letter. Your spouse cannot simply decide to stop following them.

When a spouse is violating their agreements on a regular basis, it can be stressful. If it is not an isolated incident, we recommend speaking to an attorney. They will be able to seek remedies to halt the issue and if not, they will assist you in escalating the issue to the necessary level.

Spousal Support

After leaving a marriage where you have sacrificed your career, and your partner was the main provider, you could need financial support to maintain a certain quality of life. Working out what is a fair and reasonable level of spousal support is an important job your family law attorney will carry out.

Domestic Violence

In the United States, there is a lot of domestic abuse happening on a daily basis. For the victims, it can feel like there is no way out.

If you are considering a divorce because your spouse is violent at home, we can help. We will assist you in telling the authorities if necessary, and we will help you file your divorce. If necessary, we can help you file an injunction, which stops your spouse from being able to contact you.

When it comes to domestic violence, we know it is difficult, but don’t hesitate to seek legal aid and help. If you are not sure how, contact Skillern Firm, and we will do everything we can to help.

False Domestic Abuse Allegations

Unfortunately, as domestic abuse cases rose during the pandemic, false allegations also rose with them. This is a malicious trick, sometimes used in an attempt to persuade family courts to side with the accuser.

We have dealt with cases like this before, and with skilled legal representation, you can not only fight these claims, but you can discredit your spouse in the process.

What Traits Should I Look For in a Harris County Texas Family Law Lawyer?

It can be a hard task deciding which attorney you want to deal with your family law issues. Many people have never had the need for an attorney before, which can make the decision even harder, especially when the results of your family law case might affect you and your family for a long time.

Here is what we advise you to look for in a family law attorney:

Experience

Perhaps the most important thing is your attorney’s track record for success. They should have dealt with numerous cases, similar to yours. A good attorney will always be happy to showcase their victories. If they aren’t, they may not have any.

You should also check independent review sites, like AVVO. They are a great way to see what other clients think about your potential attorney.

Accessibility

Any good Houston family law attorney that covers the Harris County, TX area will most likely have a full caseload of clients and cases. This will mean that they are busy around the clock, and you may not have access to them whenever you want.

They should, however, make adequate time for each client on their caseload. They should take the time to respond to queries, and you should never feel neglected, even if they take a day or two to get back to you.

Contact Skillern Firm Today

Here at Skillern Firm, our dedicated team of family law lawyers deal with cases like yours every single day. Each attorney is a skilled litigator, mediator and negotiator, meaning they are well equipped to deal with your case, no matter what direction it takes.

Call us today for an initial consultation at 936-213-8479.

You will be in skilled and experienced hands!