Missouri City Divorce Lawyer

Fortunately, a Missouri City divorce attorney at The Larson Law Office stands by, ready to help. Our family-run practice brings decades of family law experience and compassion to every case. We understand that a divorce is a highly personal experience, so we carefully tailor our legal strategy to our client’s particular needs and goals.

The Larson Law Office’s Divorce Practice

When you hire a Larson Law Office divorce lawyer in Missouri City, TX, you’ll receive a high level of legal skill in your representation. Plus, you’ll benefit from our client-centered approach to our work. Our divorce attorneys handle each case personally, taking time to develop a relationship of trust with clients.

Our divorce attorneys have handled a broad spectrum of issues that arise in Texas divorces, including the following:

• Alimony and spousal support,
• Marital asset division,
• Reimbursement claims,
• Community and separate property issues,
• No-fault and fault divorces,
• Contested and uncontested divorces,
• Annulments,
• Military divorces,
• Temporary orders,
• Child custody and support issues, and
• Complicated financial divorces.

We’ve handled many additional issues that arise during Texas divorces. Speak with a Missouri City divorce lawyer from our office for advice on the specifics of your situation.

Texas Divorce Requirements

Every state has basic legal requirements that you must meet to be eligible for a divorce in that jurisdiction. For Texas, you must meet specific residence requirements and have a lawful reason for requesting the divorce. Plus, your divorce is likely subject to a mandatory waiting period.

Residence Requirements

Texas law requires you or your spouse to meet its residency requirements to file for divorce in the state. To meet the residence requirement, you or your spouse must be:

• A resident of Texas for at least six months before you file the divorce; and
• A resident of the county where the divorce is filed for at least 90 days before the divorce is filed.

If you do not meet these requirements, you cannot file for divorce in Texas. There are, however, slight variations to the residence requirement if you or your spouse are in the military.

Grounds for Divorce

You must also have a legal reason, or grounds, for divorce in Texas. The legal grounds for divorce under Texas law include the following:

• Adultery;
• Conviction of a felony;
• Abandonment for one year;
• Living apart for three years;
• Cruelty, including mental and physical abuse;
• Confinement in a mental hospital; and
• Insupportability.

You should speak with a divorce attorney in Missouri City, TX, to help determine your potential grounds for divorce.

No-fault divorce

The ground of insupportability is Texas’ no-fault divorce. In a no-fault divorce, neither spouse must prove that the other caused the marriage’s failure. Instead, you must allege a breakdown in the marital relationship with no hope for reconciliation.

Fault-based divorce

The remaining divorce grounds are fault-based grounds. This means one spouse alleges the other is to blame for the marriage’s end. In a fault-based divorce, the spouse claiming the ground must provide credible evidence of what they’re alleging, thus making a fault-based divorce more complicated. However, if a court agrees that one spouse caused the marriage’s end, it may award the innocent spouse a more significant share of the marital property.

Divorce and Remarriage Waiting Periods

You may think because you were able to marry quickly, a divorce should also be quick. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Texas law has mandatory waiting periods for divorce and remarriage.

Generally, a court must wait at least 60 days after the petition is filed before it grants a divorce. The exceptions to this waiting period are when one spouse is convicted of a family violence offense or has an order of protection due to family violence. However, a divorce is likely to take far longer than that waiting period, especially if you and your spouse disagree on some of the issues.

You must also wait to remarry after a divorce. Under Texas law, if you want to marry a third person, you must wait at least 30 days after the divorce decree to do so.

What Happens in a Divorce in Texas?

Once you file and serve your divorce papers and the other spouse files an answer, the divorce process officially begins. Both spouses will then exchange financial documents, and if children are involved, they’ll provide proposed parenting plans. The attorneys for both spouses may request additional information, documents, or even sworn testimony from the spouses or other parties during the discovery process.

During the divorce process, the spouses, with the help of their attorneys, can negotiate a resolution to their case. Sometimes, a neutral third party, like a mediator, can best help them negotiate an agreement.

If they cannot agree on the divorce issues, a court will decide after it conducts a trial. First, the court will decide on the legal grounds for divorce alleged in the divorce petition. Then, the court will decide on issues such as:

• Determining separate property vs. community property,
• Deciding how to divide the community property,
• Determining whether to award spousal support, and
• Resolving child custody and support issues.

Regardless of whether you believe you’ll settle your case quickly or have to present evidence in court, you’ll benefit from the advice and counsel of a Missouri City divorce lawyer throughout the process.

Contact The Larson Law Office Divorce Attorneys Serving Missouri City

No matter the issues involved in your divorce, you need a skilled and compassionate attorney who is well-versed in the law and can protect your rights. The Missouri City Divorce attorneys at The Larson Law Office are highly knowledgeable, adept negotiators, and forceful litigators. Plus, we pride ourselves on our accessibility to our clients. Contact one of our divorce attorneys today.