Being required to appear in family court can be confusing and even frightening. Having a solid understanding of what will happen in a family law setting can ease the stress of a court appearance and help participants to understand their roles in the process.
Renaming beneficiaries after a divorce
When a Texas resident gets married, it is likely that they will name their spouse as their beneficiary should anything happen to them. However, when a person decides to get a divorce, it is important for that person to potentially name someone else as their beneficiary. This change cannot be made during the actual divorce process; the change in designation will have to wait until after the divorce process has been finalized.
How military family law affects Texas divorce
When a Texas couple with one or both members in the military divorces, special laws come into effect which are intended to safeguard both the custodial and non-custodial parent as well as any children from the marriage. The Pentagon says 50 percent of active-duty military and 70 percent of National Guard personnel are parents, making child support and issues of visitation and custody especially urgent. In addition, international law also bolsters state law and military regulations on these matters.
The importance of child support
Texas parents may be surprised to learn that, in 2013, states around the country have had to intervene in child support cases for approximately 17 million children. In Texas alone, more than $3.5 billion was distributed to custodial parents in that year the form of child support. However, Texas parents who do not have primary custody of their children reportedly owe more than $11 billion in back payments.
