You might feel that you can’t afford a divorce, but Springer & Lyle might be able to help you and work with you. The fact is that any divorce can be costly, and if you take the risk of representing yourself, your divorce can ultimately be even costlier. Don’t Try it on Your Own Most divorce cases will be stressful. There might be considerable tension between the parties, child custody might be contested, income might be hidden to reduce the child support obligation and terms and conditions of visitation can even come to issue. These aren’t issues that you want to … [Read more...]
How To Prepare For A Divorce and Maybe Save Your Marriage
Clients regularly ask us what they can do to prepare for a divorce before it’s filed. Of course some of that varies by situation and we will be happy to give you advice tailored to your situation, but there are some basic steps most people should take and surprisingly these steps go a long way toward improving marriages. Understand your Financial Situation Often there are big disparities in basic understanding about a couple’s budget, debt, and assets. One spouse may be nearly clueless how much is being saved for retirement, how much debt exists, how much money it takes to run the household, … [Read more...]
5 Things To Know About Child Support In Texas
Child support is a requirement that can be applied in any state. However, Texas tends to have its own version of child support that is a bit different from several other states, according to the Law Offices of Springer & Lyle. For instance, here are five of the more notable differences: Texas tends to put significant weight on which parent physically has care of the child, and that means the parent with the less amount of in-person care time or non-custodial becomes the paying parent. Parents have a limited ability to agree between each other for lower support payments. Texas … [Read more...]
How Can I Find Out If My Spouse Is Hiding Assets?
Are spouses hiding assets in a divorce? Yes, and frequently. Divorce has never been a pleasant process, but it is the legal approach to the dissolution of a marriage. Unfortunately, experts at Springer & Lyle have found some spouses, soon to be divorced, believe it a necessity not to follow the law and try to hide assets to avoid the sharing of them in the divorce proceedings. Common Methods of Hiding Assets In a divorce, the law requires that every major asset be inventoried. Bank accounts, brokerage accounts, real estate, vehicles and similar must be disclosed. Errant spouses are … [Read more...]
Marijuana and Family Law – The State Can Take Your Children over Marijuana
Marijuana has an unusual place in the law and in our opinions about parents. Here in Texas possession of small amounts of Marijuana is a Class B Misdemeanor like Driving While Intoxicated. While in other states like Colorado or Washington, possession of what would be felony amounts of Marijuana products here is totally legal. This differing treatment of the same substance leads to a great deal of confusion over the effect of marijuana on a family law case. Perhaps surprisingly in this age of relaxing drug prohibition, the Texas Department of Family Protective Services … [Read more...]
Contrasting the Perverse Incentive of Family Law and Collaborative Divorce
The Conflict Incentive There is a dirty secret in some family law cases, one that clients only learn about long after they’ve retained counsel, and sometimes only after they look back at the pain, stress, and expense of their divorce. The secret is that some family lawyers have a perverse incentive. Attorneys bill clients by the hour to solve their problems. That means they get paid more if the clients have more problems. Quite simply, lawyers have an economic incentive to create conflict to bill the file. Sure they have a lawyers’ creed that says they will … [Read more...]
How To Prepare For A Divorce And Maybe Save Your Marriage
Clients regularly ask us what they can do to prepare for a divorce before it’s filed. Of course some of that varies by situation and we will be happy to give you advice tailored to your situation, but there are some basic steps most people should take and surprisingly these steps go a long way toward improving marriages. Understand your Financial Situation Often there are big disparities in basic understanding about a couple’s budget, debt, and assets. One spouse may be nearly clueless how much is being saved for retirement, how much debt exists, how much money it takes to run the household, … [Read more...]
Can I Afford A Divorce?
You might feel that you can’t afford a divorce, but Springer & Lyle might be able to help you and work with you. The fact is that any divorce can be costly, and if you take the risk of representing yourself, your divorce can ultimately be even costlier. Don’t Try it on Your Own Most divorce cases will be stressful. There might be considerable tension between the parties, child custody might be contested, income might be hidden to reduce the child support obligation and terms and conditions of visitation can even come to issue. These aren’t issues that you want to address alone while … [Read more...]
Texas Rising Star Joins Springer and Lyle Law Firm
Denton Attorney Joins Springer & Lyle Law Firm Daniel Abasolo, a Denton attorney, is joining the Springer and Lyle, LLP. Abasolo returns to the firm after spending some time at a larger firm and then operating his own private practice. Abasolo was a member of Springer Lyle in 2012 and rejoins to focus on family law and business transactions. He has focused much of his career on family law, earning recognition as a Rising Star in family law by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2015 and 2016. Mr. Abasolo has also distinguished himself in family law mediation, and has invested over 100 hours … [Read more...]
My ex won’t pay debts from the divorce and now it’s ruining my credit!
I hear this one frequently and there is no simple, satisfying answer. First, some basics: Your creditors were not parties to your divorce action so they cannot be made to follow the final decree of divorce and only look to the spouse ordered to pay the debt. Creditors and debt collectors will generally go after whomever they think might actually pay regardless of what the decree says. When someone is ordered to do something, like pay a debt on another’s behalf, and they fail to do it, the remedy is usually an enforcement action or some sort of seizure of the asset involved. Generally, … [Read more...]