Create your solutions to your Texas family law problems

Do you think that your circumstances are so unique that nobody else could know what you’re going through? Are your family’s problems so impressive that the one size fits all solutions that you’ve found all over the internet wouldn’t work for you and your family? Are you frustrated that all the lawyers you’ve spoken to have given you cookie-cutter responses to the issues you have presented them?

I can’t blame you if you feel this way. The fact is that every family is unique- and your problems are too. Lawyers like to act like we have all the answers (fake it ’til you make it), but the reality is that when you present your problems to an attorney, you are putting the attorney on the spot to make assessments and show you with some analysis. That’s fine- it’s what the lawyer is there for. However, don’t be surprised if you hear that lawyer’s response as something similar to what the last guy/gal told you.

In today’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, I would like to go through some creative solutions to some problems that you may be facing in your family law case. Some of these problems are unique. Others are more common and run-of-the-mill. If you see a solution that you like or intrigues you, I recommend you contact our office to set up a meeting with one of our experienced family law attorneys. This is the creative and practical problem-solving you will get when hiring one of our attorneys to represent you and your family for a southeast Texas family law case.

What about parental rights and duties?

Ultimately, when you are trying to work through parental rights aspects of divorce and child custody cases, you are trying to get to the rights and duties inherent in parenting your child. The most fundamental aspects of the most fundamental institution in the family: that of raising children. It is already not ideal for your children when you consider that their mom and dad are either no longer married and are going through an adamant time and cannot agree on the basics of co-parenting. Hopefully, what you are attempting to do (hopefully) is play damage control and prevent any future harm for your child.

Creative solutions come into play because if you cannot figure out a way to work around and through your disagreements with your spouse, you are ensuring that you will find yourself inside of a family courtroom. In and of itself, this is not so bad. Courtrooms are not scary places. The judge (probably) won’t yell at you or your attorney. However, the judge will not know you, your opposing party, or your children all that well-even by the end of your case.

The judge will know what he knows based on the testimony presented in court and the documents introduced and accepted into the record. This will be a small portion of your family history, and there will be a lot of important information that does not get included in the evidence that the judge considers. This happens in every family law case, in every courtroom in Texas. There is no way the judge can know all your family’s essential ins and outs by the end of your trial or hearing.

In Texas, parents share custody of their children in almost every case after the divorce or child custody case concludes. One parent rarely comes out of the case with all of the possession and custody rights associated with the children. It is far more likely that you will share possession and custody rights with your child’s other parent. This is called Joint Managing Conservatorship.

That is where we need to start this discussion. Many people come into our office for a free of charge consultation, their hair on fire and ready to tell one of our lawyers how there is no way that they will accept that their child’s other parent will be able to have any time to spend with their child after this case. That parent is neglectful/emotionally abusive/rude/nasty/etc. and as a result, they should lose their parental rights or at least only be able to see their child a couple of times a year.

You may feel that way emotionally, but the reality is that parents share their children’s rights, duties, and time with the other parent. The assumption and presumption are that your child benefits from having a relationship with both of their parents. Absent evidence to the contrary (solid evidence, at that), this is a presumption that will stand up in your case and result in shared custody, rights and duties.

Each parent will have rights and duties at all times and rights and duties that apply to the time that their child is with them. The decision-making associated with your child after the divorce or child custody case is really what most people want to know about. The specific rights and duties are what parents like you want creative solutions to avoid costlier family law cases that can potentially damage the parent-child relationship.

What are the fundamental rights associated with being a parent in Texas?

Before we go any further in today’s blog post, I wanted to share with you the basics of what it means to be a parent in Texas- at least according to the Texas Family Code. First and probably most important, you have the right to have your child. This means that you have the right to have your child with you for designated periods. If you have no court orders in place, those times could be between never and always. If you have a court order in place, that court order will set forth the period you can have your child.

Next, for many Texans, the ability to direct your child’s moral and religious training is critically important to the development of your child and your family. Under most court orders, you can run the spiritual training of your child while he is in your possession, and your child’s other parent can do the same when your child is with them. This can create some friction, but as long as you are in physical possession of your child, you can take your child to religious services and do anything associated with your religion that does not break the law.

Along with being in physical possession of your child, the right to determine your child’s primary residence is maybe the most sought after and fought after right under the sun when it comes to Texas family law cases. Determining your child’s primary residence means that you can choose where your child lives- undoubtedly, this will be with you. Next, you earn the right to determine where your child will attend school, the schedule of your child during the school week, and the ability to receive child support. Finally, you will invariably get more time with your child throughout the year just because they will be in your home during the weeks of the nine-month school year.

Duties associated with parenting a child under a Texas family court order

The other side of the coin when it comes to raising a child is that there are many responsibilities or duties, as they are known in the law, related to raising that child. You must care for your child, control your child’s behavior and movement, protect your child from harm and discipline your child within reason. These are all broad rights that you share with your child’s other parent. The best I can do to sum up these rights and duties is to tell you that these are the fundamentals of raising a child.

Part of the fundamentals of raising a child is to provide that child with the essentials of clothing, food, shelter, medical/dental care, and education. There is no set standard outlined in the Texas Family Code regarding the type of food or shelter or teaching your child receives. You must, however, put your child in a position to receive or be provided all of these things as a result of your parenting.

There is a list of other rights provided to you under the Texas Family Code that I am not going to spend a great deal of time discussing here. Those rights include the right to the services and earnings of your child, the right to consent to the marriage of your child, the right to consent to the enlistment of your child in the armed forces of the United States as well as the right to consent to the medical, dental and psychiatric care of your child (including surgical intervention).

Rights and duties can be exercised independently or by agreement with the other parent.

The Texas Family Code provides that certain rights can be exercised by you independent of the other parent, while others must be exercised only by joint agreement. When it comes to all of the rights and duties that are contained within a final order from a family law case, creative negotiation will allow for you to not have every right awarded to both you and your child’s other parent.

The right to receive information from your child’s school or doctor, the right to confer with the other parent before a decision is made regarding school, medical and overall welfare are made, the right to access medical and educational records of your child, and the right to attend school functions are among the most important of these rights that can be held, exclusively, independently or held jointly with the other parent.

You may find yourself in a circumstance where it is not in your child’s best interests to have your ex-spouse be able to consult with a dentist, doctor, or teacher of your child. Suppose the other parent has acted poorly or inappropriately to the point where the behavior substantially hurts your child. In that case, they may not be able to consult with any of these people.

In your circumstances, if the other parent is not trustworthy with money, has been abusive or neglectful of your child, or has otherwise exhibited poor judgment. You need to speak to your lawyer about how to creatively limit the effect of those destructive behaviors on the well-being of your child. Your attorney will need to work with you to negotiate to preserve as much power to make decisions in you as possible. If no settlement can be reached, their job will be to present sufficient evidence to a judge that will allow you to be awarded the exclusive right to do these things.

Where do most family law cases begin to break down in terms of negotiation?

The goal of any family law attorney should be to counsel and provide insight about their client’s legal matter to help guide that client towards a result that is most beneficial to them. That can usually be accomplished best in a family law case by negotiating with your child’s other parent. What happens when negotiation becomes impossible will be where we pick up this topic in tomorrow’s blog post.

Questions about family law issues in Texas? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan

If you have any questions about the material that we shared with you today, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys offer free-of-charge consultations six days a week here in our office. These consultations are an excellent opportunity for you and your family to learn more about your circumstances and receive direct feedback from one of our attorneys.

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5. The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Texas Protective Orders
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7. 5 Things You Need to Know About Family Violence in Texas
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9. Common-Law Marriage and Texas Divorce Guide
10. I Want a Texas Divorce, but My Husband Doesn’t: What can I do?
11. Am I Married? – Marital Status in Texas
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Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Divorce Lawyers

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

Our divorce lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the 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 Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, 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.

Bryan Joseph Fagan( Attorney )

Bryan Fagan, a native of Atascocita, Texas, is a dedicated family law attorney inspired by John Grisham’s “The Pelican Brief.” He is the first lawyer in his family, which includes two adopted brothers. Bryan’s commitment to family is personal and professional; he cared for his grandmother with Alzheimer’s while completing his degree and attended the South Texas College of Law at night.

Married with three children, Bryan’s personal experiences enrich his understanding of family dynamics, which is central to his legal practice. He specializes in family law, offering innovative and efficient legal services. A certified member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, Bryan is part of an elite group of legal professionals committed to ongoing education and high-level expertise.

His legal practice covers divorce, custody disputes, property disputes, adoption, paternity, and mediation. Bryan is also experienced in drafting marital property agreements. He leads a team dedicated to complex family law cases and protecting families from false CPS allegations.

Based in Houston, Bryan is active in the Houston Family Law Sector of the Houston Bar Association and various family law groups in Texas. His deep understanding of family values and his professional dedication make him a compassionate advocate for families navigating Texas family law.