Understanding Family Law in Texas

The reality is, just about every person on the planet runs the risk of participating in some type of family law case at some point in their lives. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Marriage. Adoption. Becoming a parent. Losing a loved one. These things happen every single day. And each of these is an opportunity to potentially become involved in a family law case. So you might be interested in understanding family law in Texas. Let’s take a look.

Why do you need to understand family law in Texas?

The truth is, family law essentially runs parallel to your life. If you get married, have a child, or are involved in a family unit, family law will likely play some role in your life at some point. And understanding the family laws in the state you live in is a wise thing to do.

What is family law?

Family law pretty much encompasses all things involving family relationships. That includes things like marriage, adoption, divorce, and child custody among other things. It isn’t uncommon for family law attorneys to draft important legal documents such as court petitions and/or property agreements.

Do family law attorneys specialize?

They can, absolutely! Some family law attorneys specialize in things like adoption, paternity, emancipation, or any other matter that isn’t typically related to divorce. Family law spreads across so many different aspects of life. So family law attorneys do help people with all kinds of sensitive issues that you might not immediately assume fall into the family law bucket.

Terms to be familiar with within family law

Prenuptial Agreement: This is an agreement that spouses make before marrying. In this agreement, they each give up future rights to each other’s property in the event of death or divorce.

Emancipation: This is a court process in which a minor separates from the care of their parents. They become self-supporting and assume full adult responsibility for their personal welfare.

Alimony: Alimony is the support a spouse receives from the other spouse during and/or after a legal separation or divorce.

Paternity: This is the establishment of origin or descent from a father. To establish paternity is the act of identifying and confirming that a child is a descendant of their biological father.

Marital Property: Any property acquired by either spouse during the marriage is marital property. This property is subjected to division upon divorce.