Plano Family Law Blog

Do you have a special needs child? The benefits of a trust

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Friday, January 11, 2019.

Planning for the future of a special needs child is difficult even in the best family circumstances. Two married parents will often struggle to create a robust estate plan that provides adequate support for a special needs child in the future.

Unlike most children, special needs children may remain dependent on their parents for their entire adult life. They may require extensive, ongoing medical care that can prove quite expensive. Additionally, they may not have the physical or mental capacity to live independently. That can make divorcing more complex.

Important medical care considerations in child custody

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Thursday, December 20, 2018.

While you might focus on the parenting time schedule when you divorce your child's other parent, there is another consideration for you to think about - the child's medical care. All children will need at least preventative care during their lifetime.

For some parents, such as those who have medically fragile children or children with medically complex problems, the need to plan for such matters increases sharply. It is imperative that parents work together to come up with a plan for how the child will receive the necessary care.

Can your professional success impact custody in a Texas divorce?

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

People spend years or even decades establishing themselves in a profession. Unfortunately, success at work does not always translate to success in interpersonal relationships. Many people who are driven to great heights at work actually struggle to maintain healthy relationships at home.

All of the time spent focusing on a career can leave your spouse or even your children feeling like you don't have time for them. Some dedicated professionals may be anxious about divorce for a number of reasons. A common concern is whether the devotion to their jobs will have an impact on the outcome of custody proceedings.

Does having a special needs child impact Texas child support?

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.

Getting divorced in Texas can be difficult for even the simplest family structure. If your family includes one or more children with special needs, that can have a direct impact on the decisions you make regarding your marriage and its end.

Specifically, concerns about the needs of your child could impact everything from your living arrangement during and after the divorce to how the courts handle both custody and child support. You want to reduce the strain on your special needs child as much as possible.

Higher asset divorces increase the risk of hidden assets

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Friday, September 14, 2018.

Although divorce has become more common in the last few decades, it has not become less contentious in many cases. Spouses may still battle tooth and nail over assets and child custody. Sometimes, the desire to win in a divorce can lead one or both spouses to do unethical or even illegal things prior to and during the divorce.

Hiding assets is a perfect example. Unfortunately, the more assets and income your family has, the greater the incentive for one spouse to attempt to hide some of that wealth from the other and even the courts. Understanding how hidden assets can impact the outcome of your divorce can help you make better decisions as you end your marriage.

Is your spouse going to divorce you for a new business?

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Friday, August 17, 2018.

When your spouse first mentioned starting a new business, you felt excited. They've always had a lot of success doing this in the past, and your family is very well off financially as a result. Most of those businesses started before you got married, but the wealth carried over.

As your spouse gets to work on this new venture, though, you notice some serious changes to your relationship. It seems to be quickly declining. Before long, you worry that your spouse may divorce you because of this new company. Are you being paranoid?

Questions about state residency and divorce

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

Nearly every state requires you to be a state resident before you can file for divorce in that state. If you and your spouse recently moved to Texas, for example, you will need to file for divorce in the state where you previously resided. The residency requirement before you can file for divorce in Texas is six months or 180 days.

Here are a few things you may want keep in mind if you have recently moved to Texas and you plan to get a divorce:

Special needs children require special consideration in a divorce

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Sunday, June 17, 2018.

For parents considering a potential divorce, the needs and emotional well-being of their children is an important consideration. Divorce can have a long-lasting impact on how children relate to their parents, their siblings and their peers. It can affect their self-esteem, their drive and their sense of belonging. For children with special needs, divorces have even more potential for emotional damage.

If you have a special needs child in your family and divorce is on your mind, you need to take steps to protect your child from as much of the potential damage as possible. Careful planning and working with your ex to promote stability and routine as much as possible can minimize the impact your divorce has on your special needs child.

4 tips to make child custody work during summer vacation

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

Summer vacation is a beautiful goal for your children, something they look forward to all year long. For you, though, it means three months of confusion and stress.

You're divorced, and your child custody plan centered around the fact that your kids typically spent the day at school. You and your ex set things up so that you could both work and take care of them.

When should you say yes to divorce?

On behalf of Mackoy, Hernandez, Jones & Woods, LLP posted in blog on Friday, April 20, 2018.

Marriage is supposedly until "death do us part" but in the modern world we look at marital unions differently -- even if we still take the same kinds of oaths. The fact is, there are certain situations in which saying "no" to divorce will be doing you and your family a disservice and result in unnecessary suffering.

When building a stronger, healthier and happier life for you and your family requires you to move forward with your divorce process, the answer to the divorce question is simple. There are many things in life that are far more important than the sanctity of marriage.