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September 2001 ACT NOW ON CHILD SUPPORT ARREARAGES Interest accrues on child support arrearages (that is, money that is past due for more than a month) at the rate of twelve percent simple interest per year. The Texas legislature changed the law in its last session. Beginning January 1, 2002, the interest rate will be lowered to six percent simple interest per year. If you want to get the 12% rate, you need to get a court to confirm the amount of the arrearages and render a money judgment for that amount before the end of 2001. CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED I have recently made arrangements so that my clients may pay their fees with Discover, Visa and Mastercard. Are You and Your Spouse Candidates for A Collaborative Divorce? COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE I think of Collaborative Divorce as a kinder, gentler divorce. Some couples who are able to deal with each other in a reasonable manner despite wanting a divorce are now opting to collaborate. This is how it works: Each spouse hires an attorney who is trained in the collaborative process. The attorneys and the couple all enter an agreement to try to work toward the resolution of the divorce without resorting to litigation. In fact, the attorneys who agree to participate in a collaborative divorce agree in writing not to continue as an attorney on the case if the parties or a party decides that they need to go to court. That gives all four of the participants an incentive to keep trying to come to an agreement before giving up and asking a judge to decide for them. Much of the work of creating the divorce agreement gets accomplished in four-way meetings, where issues can be discussed face to face, without the delays and possible communication gaps involved in the usual chain of information in a divorce proceeding: spouse 1 makes a suggestion to attorney 1 who then contacts attorney 2 who then contacts spouse 2, who then gets back to attorney 2, who calls attorney 1, who calls spouse 1. In collaborative law the couple sits together with the attorneys and they work out the details of the divorce such as a visitation schedule, child support, and asset division. One of the primary advantages of collaborative divorce is that it gives you more control over your own divorce. Instead of letting the judge or a jury decide how you are going to handle visitation after the divorce, you and your spouse work out a custom-made arrangement. It's not for every couple though. Both spouses have to be able to get past the hurt and the initial venting of emotions to work effectively as part of the collaborative divorce team. If you and your spouse have children, you will have to learn to work together to parent effectively and do what's best for your children in the post-divorce years. Why not make your divorce the model for that kind of effective communication instead of letting it become an all out battle that leaves each of you scarred so much that working together after the divorce is nearly impossible? Please see the following links for more information: www.aboutcollaborativelaw.com, the new site for the Tarrant County collaborative law group, and www.collaborativelaw.com, which is a national site. BOOK REVIEW There are dozens of books about divorce on the market. Here are a couple of my favorites. The Unofficial Guide to Divorce, by Sharon Naylor. I got a lot of use out of The Unofficial Guide to Disney World when planning a trip there. This book is similarly useful and well done. It claims that it offers "the inside scoop on what's going on in the world of divorce law." Much of the advice is practical and sensible. I especially like the tips called moneysavers, timesavers and Bright Ideas, which appear on the outer margins of many pages. The book is not specific to Texas law, but is filled with helpful information. Vicki Lansky's Divorce Book for Parents is another favorite. I consulted it frequently during my own divorce. Her section on how to tell the children about the divorce has great tips for handling this painful communication and for how to deal with questions the children might ask. Lansky seems to have good insight into how children of different ages think. Like the Unofficial Guide to Divorce, the book is well-organized and reader-friendly. Look for more information on either book and other books about divorce at www.amazon.com Zoe Meigs Please visit my website at Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Prior Newsletters |
September 2001
Law Office Location and Contacts
101 Summit Avenue, Suite 208
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Phone: (817) 336 - 2325
Facsimile: (817) 336 - 0325
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