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Family Law
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Family Law

Whether you are contemplating divorce, concerned about division of property, or want a name change, the attorneys at Pratt & Thomas will provide confidential, personal and compassionate legal counsel.

Divorces

Divorce can be an uneasy situation as there may be uncertainty regarding property division, child support, spousal support, or other financial issues. As your attorneys, we file the necessary court pleadings and accompany you to all court hearings regarding the divorce. The best and easiest way to end a marriage is by agreement. However, if you and your spouse can not reach an amicable agreement, any unresolved issues will be decided by the Court.

Name Changes

The Courts are often willing to accept name changes for almost any legitimate reason. However, the granting of a Petition for Change of Name is discretionary with the Court. For example, you cannot change your name in order to avoid judgments or legal actions against you, or to avoid debts and obligations. You cannot change your name to defraud another person. You cannot change your name to a name that could affect the rights of another person (such as a celebrity) nor change to a name which involves vulgarity. If you wish to change your name, you must be a resident of Texas for at least six months and must be a resident of that county that you file in for at least ninety days. The Petition informs the Court of the Petitioner’s name, the name the Petitioner wishes to assume, the reasons for the change and other personal information required by statute. For an Order of name change to be granted, the Court must find sufficient reasons for the change and also find the name change in the interest or to the benefit of the Petitioner and in the interest of the public.

Martial Agreements

Marital Agreements are contracts between parties who are contemplating marriage that prevents the creation of community property. Community property is property or debt acquired by either spouse during the marriage that is not separate property. Separate property is either property owned prior to marriage, property acquired at any time by gift or inheritance, or recoveries for personal injuries sustained by a spouse during marriage (except for loss of earnings). Community does not have to be split 50/50. Division can be a 60/40 or 80/20 split or some other percentage split. The division of the marital estate is up to the discretion of the court. However, the court has no power to divest a party of their separate property. We can help you with contracting that the property owned by one of you or either of you will remain separate property and will include the income derived from the separate property.

The attorneys at Pratt & Thomas have helped numerous people with divorces, custody related matters, child support related matters, marital agreements, and name changes. We will meet with you to help determine the correct approach to solving your particular issue. We will help you ensure all requirements are fulfilled so the family law matter goes smoothly.

For a consultation and evaluation of your situation, call us today!