Child Custody
Having a child can be a wonderful and heartwarming situation. But it can also be the cause of a lot of stress and concern, especially when the parents aren’t together. Child custody cases can get complicated and messy when not handled properly. At the Hager Law Firm, we work hard to ensure your children’s needs are met while still working to protect your interests.
Protecting Children Above All Else
When creating or altering a child custody agreement in Texas, it’s natural for emotions to complicate matters. At the Hager Law Firm, we stand firmly committed to putting the safety and well-being of children first. If we believe that your desire for custody could negatively affect your child, we’ll let you know. And we’ll help you come up with an alternate plan that benefits your children for a healthier, happier future.
New Child Custody Agreements
Whether you just had a child or are seeking to split from your partner, we’re here to help you navigate the complexity of child custody agreements. Creating a new agreement can be a bit frustrating at first, especially if the parents don’t see eye to eye. Our child custody lawyers are experienced in creating agreements that work to benefit everyone involved.
Legal Rights
When creating a custody agreement, it’s possible to set specific limitations or rights for each parent. For example, one parent may have visitation rights but not the right to decide upon a child’s schooling or medical treatment. Because every family is different, these rights can vary from case to case. And the legal agreements can affect future living situations.
For example, a child custody agreement may include what’s known as a morality clause. A morality clause is designed to provide stability and safety for a child after divorce. It often dictates that a parent cannot have a non-family adult spend the night with the children present. While the clause can have benefits to a child’s development and support after a divorce, it can also make it difficult for a parent to make new relationships. When navigating specific clauses such as these, our divorce attorneys look at the reasoning behind them and whether or not they are truly beneficial for a child.
A Child’s Say
When negotiating child custody agreements, it’s possible for your child to have some influence over the results. Whether or not a child can even testify depends on their age. Children under the age of 12 cannot testify in a custody case unless there’s a case of domestic abuse.
Children over the age of 12 may be able to testify in a child custody agreement. The older they are, and the more developed their brains, the more weight their word has in a case. Having to testify can put a lot of emotional strain on your child. Therefore, we generally recommend against it unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Altering Child Custody
As life goes on, it’s not uncommon for a family to need to make adjustments to their child custody agreements. Say you share 50% custody with an ex. This means that your child spends about half of the year living with their other parent. These agreements tend to work best when both parents live nearby and can provide support and stability for a child’s school and extracurriculars. But if one parent moves away, a 50/50 split could be detrimental to a child’s academic and social development.
At the Hager Law Firm, we’re experienced in helping families readdress their child custody agreements when living situations change. Whether one parent moves, remarries, starts a new job, or runs into financial trouble, we’re here to help protect your children moving forward. If you believe that a change would have a negative effect on your child, we can help determine whether or not it’s time to change your custody agreement.
Adoption
Adopting a child is a wonderful decision to make, whether you’re adopting a new family member or taking legal custody over a stepchild. Our adoption attorneys can help you navigate the process. Adoptions can get a little complex, depending on the legal rights of the birth parents.
Stepparent Adoption
If you’re looking to adopt a stepchild, it’s necessary to ensure that the other parent has no legal rights. If the other parent is currently part of a custody agreement, they’ll need to sign over their legal rights before you can adopt. This process may not be easy, especially if the custody agreement is a 50/50 split. Depending on the situation, a parent may sign away legal rights with the legal promise of visitation rights. Our adoption lawyers can help you navigate this process.
Open Adoption
If you’re adopting a new child into your family, open adoption may be an option. In an open adoption, both you and the birth parents are aware of the other and can be in communication before, during, and after the process. Open adoptions can look very different from case to case. In some instances, an open adoption might only allow you to get the medical records of a child and their family history while allowing the birth parent to ensure their child is in a safe environment. Other open adoptions might include a clause where you send photos or updates to a birth parent or even allow supervised visitations. Working with an adoption attorney can help you find the best option for your new child.
Closed Adoption
Sometimes, a closed adoption is necessary to help protect a child and provide better stability and support. In a closed adoption, neither set of parents knows about the other or can contact each other. The birth parents have no legal or visitation rights and cannot be in contact with the child. If you have a closed adoption, it can be a good idea to have a trusted attorney ready in the future. While we hope for the best, some situations could complicate matters, and it’s best to know what to do when something goes wrong.
Finding the best child custody or adoption solution isn’t always easy. It can be hard to think about the future needs of your child, especially when going through a divorce or breakup. At the Hager Law Firm, our child custody attorneys have an intimate knowledge of child development and what’s best for their stability and support. We can help you find a beneficial solution that will be best for the needs of your children.