The Internet, for all its faults, is a great place to collect information. When it comes to being the resource for nothing more than learning and developing a knowledge base, the Internet is second to none as far as our avenues to gain a basic understanding of any subject in the world. When I was in high school, I can remember when the Internet was first used to perform simple tasks like completing a research assignment for class. It was amazing to be able to complete an assignment without ever having to open a book.
Nowadays, people use the Internet for a range of different purposes beyond basic research activities. It is much more a way to communicate with others and learn about the news and current events than to perform research. The trouble with that is that there is no editor or publisher of online news or information. You must be extremely cautious about taking to heart the information you read about online. While the Internet can be a tremendous resource for obtaining information, it is certainly a double-edged sword because you can learn things that may not only be inaccurate but can be harmful to you.
That is how I approach my time spent online. During the coronavirus pandemic, I think we all were searching for answers to questions we had on the virus, our response to it, and the future of our society that perhaps the Evening News were not answering for us. Going on the Internet, the most sensible way to do it is access to information that we wanted to learn about. However, I think we’ve all seen instances where people learn things online that were far from the truth that couldn’t end up being harmful. On the other hand, I think it is wise to acknowledge that sometimes the best information we can get and the most updated information we can get about the world is found on the Internet.
Going online to learn about family law matters in Texas
Family law is no different than any other subject or field of study. There are plenty of resources available to all of us on the internet when it comes to learning more about the law and how your family’s circumstances may be influenced by it. Going through a family law case without any knowledge of the law, the processes involved, how your circumstances interact with these factors, etc. Going into this sort of experience with no knowledge at all would not be a great plan.
It would help determine how you want to utilize this information while balancing that against the need to have perspective and advice regarding your specific circumstances. That is where an experienced Texas family law attorney usually enters the picture. Having an attorney available to you during your family law case is an invaluable tool to have. Learning about the family law process from the Internet is an important period; however, having an attorney provides you with information and perspective based on your specific circumstances. This is not a situation where you should have either or. Rather, it is a both-and scenario where you are better off taking advantage of all of the available resources that you can get two.
With that said, using the Internet is also important for finding the correct attorney for you. At the same time, you can drive down Main St and find an attorney by looking at the signs at every large building; you see that probably is not the most efficient way to hire a lawyer. Rather, you can utilize the information available to you on the Internet to research attorneys in your area that he may be interested in hiring. However, seeing an attorney photo and a little bit of information about their law practice doesn’t do you all that much good. What you need to do at that point is to drill down and find out as much pertinent information about the attorney’s experience and your comfort level with them.
Using the Internet to hire a lawyer
Rather than simply using the Internet to gain information about a lawyer, you need to take the next step and then use the Internet to go deeper and meet with the attorney. In our digital age, you may be able to find an attorney who is willing to meet with you over the computer. The attorneys with Bryan Fagan Law Office offer free of charge consultation six days a week in person, over the phone, and video online. We want to be as flexible as we can be as far as meeting you where you are both in terms of your progress made in your case and where you physically are.
Otherwise, getting on the computer to learn more about your case is the next step in the process once you have discovered information about the family law process in general. For instance, this website is a great resource if you are trying to learn the basics of Texas family law. We have informational blogs that run the gamut of subjects related to divorce, child custody, adoption, CPS cases, child support, and so on.
Ideally, after you read one of our blog posts, you would contact our office to speak with one of our experienced and licensed family law attorneys. We can then provide you with additional information in a free-of-charge consultation on how the law in Texas, the process used by the courts to administer the law, and then your circumstances and the interaction with each of them will be central to gaining a grasp of what to expect in a case and developing a game plan for how to move forward. Being intentional with your case and adjusting to changing circumstances will be crucial to your success in the future. Developing that game plan with your attorney is a recipe for success both now and in the future.
Once you find an attorney on the Internet that you are interested in meeting with, you should reach out to that lawyer to set yourself up with an in-person meeting if possible. I can understand the concern over health and safety during this time. Still, I think it is important for you to get a feel for a person by meeting with them in person to determine whether or not you were comfortable with hiring them. I do not think you can fully appreciate others until you can sit with them in person.
Once you have an opportunity to meet with the attorney, I recommend that you do so multiple times with multiple attorneys; I do not mean that you should meet with the same attorney multiple times but seek out multiple family law attorneys to get their perspective on your case. It will help balance your time with the lawyer by asking questions and listening to how the attorney answers your questions. This may sound like silly advice, but I can tell you that the most productive experience you can get with the lawyer is spent talking and listening. Allow the attorney to explain their position on various issues so that you can determine whether or not the lawyer’s views make sense.
You can also ask questions and receive feedback regarding the particular issues you are facing. This does not mean that you should take everything the attorney says at face value. If there is an issue that does not make sense to you, you should ask questions and ask for clarification as many times as it takes in the interview. If the attorney does not appear interested in answering your questions or in talking through important topics with you, then you may Be in a position where you should, and the meeting moves on to a different lawyer. However, this is not an experience you could have gained through meeting with an attorney over the phone.
In this way, old school and new school technology functions well together to help you gain perspective on your case. There is nothing wrong with finding out information on the computer about your family law case or the issues that will be most impactful for you moving forward. On the other hand, not being willing to meet with an attorney in person can cause you to lose some degree of appreciation for the lawyer on an individual level and may cause you to hire the wrong lawyer for you and your family. Gathering information at this stage is wise, but you need to decide based on what you find on the computer and your experiences, having met with and gotten a feel for various lawyers.
Do you even need to hire an attorney for your divorce or child custody case?
One of the questions that I receive from potential clients of the Law Office of Bryan Fagan is whether or not it is even necessary to hire an attorney for their case. The reality is that there is no law in Texas that you hire a family law attorney to represent you in your family law case. Some people represent themselves throughout a family law case and can even achieve favorable results or, at the very least, not completely out of line with what an attorney could produce for you.
With that said, we don’t need to look at a family law case as a situation as being something good enough or, at the very least, not entirely bad. Rather, we need to look at a family law case as something where you need to receive the best results possible for yourself and your family. For one, there is no guarantee that you will be able to come back and change the course of your case through a modification or even enforcement of prior orders. I like to tell folks that you should not assume that you will get another bite at the apple when it comes to a family log case. Rather, you should do your best to ensure a good result the first time around. The question is, how do you go about doing this, and what can you do to improve your chances of being named the primary conservator of your children or in winning it any other designation that you desire in your case.
From my experience, you cannot change the circumstances of your case to improve your chances of achieving great results. The best way to do so would be 2 hires an attorney. Hiring an attorney is the best way to take your case from one that favorable results may be possible to one where success is much more certain. Of course, there is nothing that guarantees you a particular result in a family law case. However, with that being said, you can still go to some lengths to improve your chances at favorable results. Hiring an attorney is probably the most straightforward way to do so.
Using technology tier advantage during a family law case
Using technology to your advantage does not have to stop after you find an attorney to hire. Rather, you can use the technological advances of our era to benefit you until the very end of your family law case. Whether you are going through a divorce or a child custody case, you can rest assured that the various stages of a case can all be improved through the use of technology. Better yet, these improvements don’t even have to necessarily be expensive improvements or things you have to go out of your way to do.
From the get-go, you can utilize the camera in your cell phone to document the property in your home and begin to inventory it before beginning your case. This is a point to make regarding divorce cases where Community property Canon will be divided. There is no guarantee of how long you will be able to remain in your family home. You may often wind up surprised that you are ordered to leave home or have to make separate accommodations for some time. It is not uncommon to have property become lost or taken by your Co-parent or spouse during that time.
In that case, it is a good decision for you to take photographs of all the property in your home as soon as possible. You can stand in the doorway of each room in your house and take photographs of each wall, the interiors of drawers, and closets. Too often does it happen though one piece of property or another will wind up missing during a divorce. That or property will be mishandled or broken to the detriment of both parties. At least by documenting property like this, you can avoid mistakes or issues with determining how property became this way.
Next, if you and your Co-parent have problems speaking to one another, that does not mean you have an excuse not to do so. Rather, you can use technology to your advantage to stay in regular communication with them period; for example, websites like our family wizard allow four parents to communicate with each other regularly. This website allows you all to leave messages for one another and communicate so that a record will be left in the future if you need to turn back for your notes or need to turn in the conversations for a court appearance.
Of course, text messaging utilizes a very similar technology without the court’s ability to see timestamps in a set fashion. If you and your Co-parent have shown the ability to utilize this convenient form of communication, then you should certainly consider it. Again, I am a big fan of face-to-face interactions, but I understand that convenience and the emotion of a case may not allow you in your Co-parent to be in that position. As a result, taking advantage of technology like text messaging to communicate ideas, negotiate and participate in parenting is not a bad option. However, you should do your best to be as efficient and considerate in your communication as possible.
Questions about the material contained in today’s blog post? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan
if you have any questions about the material contained in today’s blogpost, 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 in person, over the phone, and via video. These consultations are a great way for you to learn more about the world of Texas family law and how your family may be impacted by the filing of a divorce or child custody case. Thank you so much for being so interested in our law office. We hope you will join us again tomorrow as we continue to post relevant and helpful information about the world of family law 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 important 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 Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form.
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.