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Houston Divorce Information
Information provided by Houston Divorce
Lawyer John K. Grubb
John K. Grubb & Associates, PC’s Houston divorce attorneys understand that a divorce is one of the most stressful and traumatic events in your
life. While divorce can be a long drawn-out process, our experience can
prevent the “messiness” often associated with the legal procedure.
Many times, our family law firm can help people come to common terms and
prevent a court from deciding custody or property division. We can help
with the following:

Grounds for divorce
While most divorces can be granted on the grounds of “discord
or conflict of personalities”, in a few cases, it may be appropriate
to allege other grounds such as cruelty, adultery, abandonment, living
apart, etc. Occasionally, a spouse will say, "I am not going to give
you a divorce." Houston divorce lawyer John K. Grubb will make sure you are going to get a divorce if you want it, regardless of what your spouse
wants.
If you and your spouse enter into a written property
division, the Courts will almost always approve the agreement. The settlement
agreement must include all assets (house, cars, stocks, bonds, retirement,
etc.), and liabilities (mortgages, loans, credit cards, taxes, etc.).
If the parties cannot agree on a division of property, then the Court
will divide the parties' community property "in a manner the Court deems
just and right, having due regard for the rights of each party and any
children of the marriage." Please note that contrary to popular impression,
the Court is not required to divide community property 50%/50%. Some
of the factors the Court may consider in dividing community property
are disparity of income, education and training, health, age, fault
in breakup of marriage, nature of property, custody of children, and
the parties' capabilities. There is no way to tell how the Court will
divide the community property --- it is a gamble. This is why you can
trust that John K. Grubb and Associates will help you tip the scales
in your direction and make sure you get a fair division of your rightful
property.
Texas has adopted "rehabilitation alimony." Generally,
alimony may be awarded to a spouse if the marriage was of at least 10
years duration and the spouse who is seeking alimony lacks sufficient
property to provide for their minimum reasonable needs and:
- is unable to support himself or herself through appropriate employment because of an incapacitating physical or mental disability;
- is the custodian of a child with a physical or mental disability that precludes employment outside the home; or
- clearly lacks earning ability in the labor market to provide for their minimum reasonable needs.
If you or your spouse is seeking alimony, let us
help explain the requirements and make sure you qualify for the financial
support you are seeking.
When children are involved in a divorce settlement,
the situation can easily get out of control if not managed properly.
If you and your spouse can agree on custody, the Court will almost always
approve your written agreement. If you and your spouse cannot work out
an agreement, the Court will decide custody. A custody battle is extremely
expensive and destructive. John K. Grubb and Associates is dedicated
to settling custody disputes in the most efficient and least destructive
means possible.
When child custody is being decided, it is also necessary
to discuss child support. The State of Texas has established guidelines
to determine child support based upon the parent's net resources. The
definition of net resources is quite long --- for most people, it means
all wage and salary income and other compensation for personal services,
interest, dividends, royalty income, self-employment income and net
rental income, less social security taxes and federal income tax withholding
for a single person claiming one personal exemption and the standard
deduction. We have experience in calculating this figure and presenting
it to the Court in a manner that will produce the best possible results. If you need a Houston child support attorney, please contact our law firm today to set up a consultation.
The Texas Legislature has considered the importance
of parental involvement in child development and established minimum
imitation schedules for Texas. While not all families are the same,
visitation hours are by no means uniformly set. We will make sure visitation
is set in a fair manner best for all parties involved.
All too frequently, divorcing couples have had a
long history of inflicting physical harm or bodily injury upon one or
both of the parties. The Courts will not tolerate any family violence.
The Court can enter a protective order that prohibits one person from
committing family violence against another. The protective order usually
goes so far as to prohibit one person from even going near the other
person's residence or place of employment. A copy of the protective
order is given to the police. Trust John K. Grubb and Associates to
make sure your family is safe through all legal means available.
Anytime prospective spouses have substantial assets,
children from other marriages, partnership or business agreements, or
other assets, it might be suitable for the partners to enter into a
Premarital Agreement defining the respective rights and obligations
of each party. Texas Courts have taken the position in recent years
that they will uphold the enforcement of any marital agreements and
there are very few exceptions where a party can avoid the effects of
a premarital agreement. As a practical matter in preparing a premarital
agreement it is necessary that each party to the agreement have their
own attorney.
If you are looking for options and solutions, contact the Houston divorce lawyers at our firm today for a consultation.
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