Family Law and Children

Most of the family law area includes children in some form. Included in family law is: child support, child custody and on occasion, adoptions.

If you are are going through a divorce with children present or if you are considering a divorce and have children, it is important to have an experienced Family Law Attorney that understands the law and the needs of your family.

Child Custody

Family law itself can be a little tricky to comprehend. Words like “conservator” are used throughout family law. In Texas the law uses “conservator” instead of “custodian” as you might see in other states. This term is used to describe the legal rights and responsibilities of the parent. This isn’t a definition most people will be familiar with, below is a summary of what that term means.

In Texas, there are two types of conservatorships:

1. Joint managing conservatorship
2. Sole managing conservatorship

In general most conservatorships include the the right to:

• receive information from the other parent about the health, wellness and education of the child
• have access to dental, medical, psychological and educational records of the child.
• speak to a physician, dentist or psychologist about the child
• talk to a school office about the child’s education, welfare, health and educational activities
• consent to medical care, surgery, or dental treatment in an emergency or time of immediate danger to the child

Child Support

Child support is a different aspect of Family Law that relates to child custody. There are several ways to calculate child support in Texas, the link referenced is to the site for the Texas Attorney General.

The parent that does not have primary custody is typically the one that pays child support. Child support in Texas is actually required even if there is no court order. The legal duty to provide financially for their children is put upon anyone that has children in Texas.

Below is a list of typical child support percentages based on the number of children for a parent who has no other children outside the current court proceedings:

• 20% for 1 child,
• 25% for 2 children,
• 30% for 3 children,
• 35% for 4 children,
• 40% for 5 children,
• Not less than 40% for 6 or more children.

Navigating family law and what is best for you and your children can be difficult and overwhelming. The Goodman law firm is incredibly experienced in all areas of family law and provides a high quality of customer service. If you have any Family Law needs, please contact us today for a consultation.