Lubbock Child Custody Attorney
806-368-8712

Texas Family Law Attorney                 Get The Legal Help You Need Experience is not expensive... It's PRICELESS.. Child Custody and Placement Child custody evaluations and studies Guardianships and Conservatorships Legal Custody / Paternity

Original Child Custody (Paternity) Suits
-Establish Child Support | Establish Visitation | Limit Visitation

Child Custody Modification Suits
-Custody changes | Long-distance visitation provisions | Work-related custom visitation schedules

Child Custody and Family Law in Lubbock, Texas

Original Suits (Paternity)

Sometimes couples who have children are married and sometimes they are not. If a mother and father are married then the custody of the child as well as the support for the child are addressed through the divorce action. If the mother and father are not married then the issues of who has "custody" of the child as well as child support are addressed in what we call in Texas as an Original Suit or a Paternity lawsuit. The law defines those individuals that may bring a child custody and/ or child support lawsuit. How the case is approached depends on the facts of each unique case, and therefore a consultation with a Lubbock family law attorney on child custody issues is necessary.

Modification Suits

As in life, child custody issues change over time. It is possible that life changes may suggest or demand that the original custody order be changed as well. The law has some timelines designed to prevent constant litigation of child custody issues. It is very important that if you are seeking to change custody that your case be prepared. Some modification issues are easy such as when both parties agree. Some modification issues are always going to be contested. Therefore a consultation with a family law attorney is necessary to see if your child custody case is appropriate for filing a modification suit.

Some of the most common reasons people file custody modification suits are:

 Lubbock Child Custody
    If one parent (usually the custodial parent) is moving either to another city or another state
 Lubbock Child Custody
    Changes in relationships of one of the parents such as a new step mom or step dad that creates
    issues or problems for the child
 Support Issues
    Changes in the child's emotional development
 Child Custody Safety Issue
    Fears of the physical safety of the child
 Child Custody Change in Residence
    Change in residence of child from one parent to another
 Lubbock Child Custody
    Changes in the child support ability of one parent such as a loss of job
 Child Custody Standard Visitation Rights
    The original visitation order is no longer realistic based upon changes in work schedules or other life
    changes
 Child Custody Medical Concerns
    Medical or other needs of the child and changes to these needs over time
 Child Custody Limit or Remove Visitation Rights
    Limit/Remove visitation under certain circumstances such as new partners of the parents, drug or
    alcohol abuse by a parent and other concerns.

Visitation Rights (Obtain and Enforce)

An original suit (see above) must be filed for a father who is not married to the mother of his child to obtain enforceable visitation rights to a child. Also, if a prior custody order was issued by a court without visitation provisions, the father must file a modification in order to attempt to obtain visitation rights. In these cases, a consultation with a family law attorney is necessary to determine what you should do, based on your facts and Texas law. Visitation rights can be enforced against a parent who is not complying with a court order by having an attorney file an enforcement motion. There are very specific facts required to enforce, and a consultation with a family law attorney is necessary to determine if your child custody case is ready for an enforcement motion.

Grandparent Custody

Several factors that affect the ability of grandparents to seek custody of their grandchildren. Grandparents might seek custody when the grandchild is in physical or emotional harm from one or both of the parents. There are often extenuating circumstances that need to be reviewed both from a fact and legal standpoint to see if a grandparent might have the ability to file for child custody. Call Today for a Consultation at 806-368-8712.