Dealing with life post-divorce in Texas

Without a doubt, your life will change after the divorce you’ve been involved in has completed. Whether you feel like you’ve come out of the experience as the “winner”, “loser” or somewhere in between there will be changes for you and your family to encounter. If you are beginning the process now or are contemplating the filing of a family lawsuit now is a good time to begin to consider those changes and how to talk to your family about them.

While the subject matter may be the sort that you are not especially excited to discuss it can go a long way towards aiding your family’s collective mindset as the next stage of your lives together unfolds.

Change of Name

If you are a woman and have begun a divorce then you have most likely already made a determination as to whether or not you want to keep your last name or if you will request the court change your last name back to your maiden name. This is something that your attorney should discuss with you in a “goal setting” session prior to filing the initial documents in your divorce.

Typically in an Original Petition for Divorce a woman will specify whether or not she would like a name change and what the proposed new name is. If you are the responding party to the divorce then a counterpetition may be filed wherein you are able to request the name change in the same fashion as you could have in the Original Petition for Divorce.

It is possible to request a name change for a child as the result of a divorce, but I can’t think of an example of a prior client of the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC that either requested one or had their spouse request a name change for a minor child. Either way, a court could conceivably change the name of a minor child upon the request of a party but that change would have to come most likely in the face of an opposing parent’s request to keep the child’s name the same.

Change of Residence

This is the major change that comes in every divorce case. One parent or the other will be leaving the family home to find their own place to live as a single adult. In some cases both parents will leave the marital home to find a new place to live, often after a court’s order (or mutual agreement) to sell the home.

This is a big adjustment for parents to make but it is especially hard on children. Either not having one of your parents in the home anymore takes a lot of time to get used to, or the combination of that and having to move to a new house or residence makes life especially challenging. Talking to your children early on in the process to make sure they feel comfortable and secure in whatever new surroundings they encounter is crucial.

If you are the non primary parent who gets visitation with the children make sure to take advantage of your opportunities to have the children over to your new residence as quickly as possible so that they may become acclimated. This is especially true if they are young children who will take more time to adjust to new surroundings. Change doesn’t have to be bad, but any change requires patience and communication to get through

Change of account information and access

This is one that I don’t think most clients and even many attorneys consider enough when discussing important changes in post divorce life for families involved. When debts andproperty get divided up in a divorce proceeding the bank accounts are included. Many couples do not share bank accounts and keep their money separate. Well, from reading other blog posts on the subject from our office you should know that keeping “Mr.” and “Mrs.” accounts does not negate the fact that the funds from these accounts are most likely community property.

Regardless, if you share any bank accounts with your spouse the judge will divide them between you and your spouse. In the alternative if you and your spouse settle your case outside of court then the accounts will still be divided up based on your settlement agreement.

Whatever you are awarded in the divorce you will want to make sure that you have the information needed to access the account including login information as well as the password for each account. Once you have that information ready to go it is important to review the contents of the account online and address any issues you have prior to finalization of the divorce.

Then, once all your questions are answered you should make sure that only you have access to whatever new passwords you have applied for each account. You do not want to put yourself in a situation where your ex spouse is either legally or illegally able to access the financial account that was awarded to you in the divorce.

Change is inevitable- How you deal with it makes all the difference

The pure mechanics of most divorces are very similar. The paperwork, the hearings, the settlement, etc. do not deviate dramatically from couple to couple. What does change are the people involved and their specific ability or willingness to handle the changes that they and their children face as a result of the divorce.

The clients, from my experience, that embrace change and deal with it head on are usually more successful in post divorce life than those who shy away from confronting the new developments in their lives. What’s more- you have your children to concern yourself with now more than ever.

The attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC understand the issues that divorcing persons face and stand ready to help you and your family. To learn more about our office or to simply ask questions that you have please contact one of our licensed family law attorneys today. We offer free of charge consultations six days a week.

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3. 8 Tips for Reducing the Cost of a Divorce in Texas
4. $300 Divorce Cost a Man $100,000 in Texas
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Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Kingwood Divorce Lawyer

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding divorce, it’s important to speak with ar Kingwood, TX Divorce Lawyer right away to protect your rights.

A divorce lawyer in Kingwood TX is skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles Divorce cases in Spring, Texas, Cypress, Spring, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, Houston, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County and Waller County.