Austin Family Lawyers

Things to consider if Your Marriage is Ending

If you are married and the situation is deteriorating to the point where you and your spouse need to go your separate ways, you face one of the most difficult emotional struggles anyone could face outside of death. You will experience feelings of desperation, despair, anger, frustration, fear and many others. In regards to all of these emotions, the first thing you need to clearly understand is that you are far from alone. Statistics show that nearly 75,000 people got divorced in 2005.

Therefore, if you find yourself in this situation, there are a few issues that you need to understand before you file any paperwork on your behalf. The best way to get the individualized answers you need is by seeking the help of a Texas family lawyer, but in the meantime, below you'll find a few examples of these issues.

Child Custody

If you and your spouse share a child or children, you'll need to work out who will get primary custody and who will not. Several factors help make this decision, including availability, means of support and other factors.

Child Support

Child support amounts are usually determined by a basic equation that's based on income and number of children, but modifications can be made, temporary orders can be implemented and controversies can arise if this issue is not handled properly from the beginning.

Property Division

While Texas law may appear simple when it calls for an equitable distribution of assets, it's far more complicated when applied to real situations. There can be questions about the existence of certain assets, how they are valued, where they are and other questions and points of controversy.

Domestic Violence

A charge of domestic violence only adds to the emotional stress of a divorce situation. Not to mention, the presence of domestic violence can change a typical "no-fault" divorce into a "fault-based" divorce, whereby the victim of the abuse could walk away with the lion's share of the estate.

Taxes

The year after your divorce is final always presents a few complications when it comes time to file your tax returns. If you've been proceeding like most married couples, you've probably been filing joint returns, but that will obviously no longer be the case after you go your separate ways. You'll also need to report the division of your estate in certain ways on that next return.

Overall, you do have several issues to think about if your marriage is ending. However, there are often ready-made answers for your situation. If you'd like to gain an understanding of how the law applies to your particular situation, you should seek the help of Austin family lawyers Slater & Kennon, L.L.P. by scheduling an initial consultation.


Centrally located in the Arboretum area of north Austin, the Slater & Kennon law firm represents clients in Travis County, Bastrop County, Burnet County, Williamson County, and Hays County, including the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Bastrop, Burnet, and Georgetown.