Posted on April 21, 2022 in Divorce

Divorce can be stressful for you and the animals who are part of your life and livelihood. As you and your spouse start out, you have no intention of ending the relationship. When it comes time to divide a combined life, the situation can become challenging.

Horses may feel like family. During the divorce, however, they are assets and can become a source of friction.

Here’s what you should know about how Texas views horses during a divorce.

Community property

Texas is a community property state when it comes to dividing assets during a divorce. Although your horses may feel more like companions than assets, considering them assets makes a simple line for the court to determine ownership.  If the horses are registered, ownership on the registration papers does not determine whether they are community or separate property. That is determined by how they were acquired.

If you and your spouse cannot agree on who gets the horses, and the horses are determined to be community property, the Court will award them to one party or the other or order them sold and the proceeds split as with the rest of your community property.  If their value is at issue, a professional may have to be retained to testify as to their appraised value.

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 Posted on April 21, 2022 in Child Custody

Child abuse is a serious matter that relies on responsible adults to help put an end to it. Without the actions of someone who witnessed the abuse, the child can continue to suffer indefinitely.

This type of abuse is far more common than you may expect, with nearly 700,000 cases occurring annually. Knowing how to identify and report all forms of child abuse can help save the life of a child near you; here is what to look for:

Signs of child abuse

Child abuse can come in many different varieties. Physical abuse can be difficult for an abuser to hide, but it is possible. If a child has obvious makeup on their face, neck, or other areas of the body, it may be covering bruises. An abusive parent may force a child to wear baggy clothes even on hot days, or a child may cover themselves up from shame.

Neglect is another form of abuse that children can suffer, which can happen when children do not receive the care or resources they need to be healthy. Neglected children can be regularly unclean, appear malnourished, or even wear the same outfit many times a week.

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 Posted on May 06, 2021 in Child Custody

Divorce, family crises and other issues often lead to grandparents assuming the primary parenting role for their grandchildren. While some pursue adoption to validate the relationship legally, many others provide that care informally.

Reasons grandparents assume the primary parenting role

While many factors exist for grandparents taking over raising their grandkids, most are related to difficulties that prevent parents from effectively providing that care. These include:

• Parental substance abuse
• Child abuse and neglect
• Physical or mental illness
• Child disability
• Unemployment
• Military deployment
• Abandonment
• Death of one or both parents
• Teenage pregnancy
• Incarceration

Challenges grandparents face for raising grandchildren

When grandparents assume the primary parenting role for their grandkids, they can face several obstacles, and the responsibilities can feel overwhelming. These include:

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