Child Custody Lawyer Helping Clients Throughout Denton County
More children are born to unmarried couples today than to married ones. Just as with married couples, sometimes unmarried couples break-up and when that happens, they will need to decide what will happen with their children. These decisions can raise many issues that couples without children don’t have to face. The most important thing for any separating couple is to determine what is in the best interest of the children. If the parties are unable to agree on what is best for the child, then the issue will need to be submitted to a judge. Child custody actions require you to act decisively and plan strategically to make sure that the judge hears your side of the case. Mr. Youngberg is experienced with child custody law, and he can help you to seek a result that you believe is in the best interest of your children especially if you are going through a contentious divorce.
There are many decisions that you will need to make in order to best plan your strategy in your case. One major consideration is whether or not it would be in your best interest to seek a custody evaluation. A custody evaluation is a process where the court appoints a neutral person to come into your home and the home of the other party to watch how each party interacts with the children and to interview each party and the children. These evaluations can be expensive and the court will often require you to pay for the evaluation if you are the one who asks for it. Mr. Youngberg can help you to determine if requesting an evaluation is in your best interest and if it makes financial sense for you.
There are many other issues to consider in any custody case such as the wishes of the children, the financial stability of the parties, emotional stability of the parties, the needs of the children and a host of other issues that the judge may need to consider. Typically, there is a massive amount of information to sift through in order to determine what must be presented to the judge in a hearing. A typical Temporary Orders hearing will be scheduled for no more than one hour of the court’s time and that is not enough time to cover a lifetime of information. Mr. Youngberg has the experience to help you determine what issues must be presented to the court in order to help the judge understand your case and rule in your children’s best interest.
Custody cases not only determine who has possession of the children on a day-to-day basis, but what decision-making rights each parent is able to exercise. The Texas Family Code specifies a few different rights that parents may hold exclusively (only one parent can make the decision), independently (each parent makes the decision on his or her possession time), or jointly (parents have to agree before a decision is made). Some of those rights are rights are:
- the right to consent to the child’s marriage or enlistment in the armed forces of the United States;
- the right to consent to medical and dental care involving an invasive procedure;
- the right to consent to psychiatric and psychological treatment;
- the right to make decisions concerning the child’s education;
- the right to represent the child in legal action and to make other decisions of substantial legal significance concerning the child;
- the right to receive and give a receipt for payments for the support of the child and to hold or disburse funds for the benefit of the child;
- the right to inherit from and through the child; and
- the right to make decisions concerning the child’s education.
While many of these rights are exercised only occasionally, those occasions are typically moments of great significance in your child’s life. Mr. Youngberg will work with you to achieve the best possible outcome preserving your parental rights and protecting the children’s best interests.
Paternity Actions in Denton County
Sometimes the parentage of a party may be an issue in a case. With the availability of reliable DNA testing, those questions can be put to rest for good. The Texas Family Code provides for DNA testing of the child and a parent in many instances, and if you believe that you or the other party may not be the father of the child, you can typically request a test to determine your parentage. There are circumstances where parentage testing may not be automatically allowed, such as where the parties have executed a valid acknowledgment of paternity, or if a party is the presumed father of a child. Mr. Youngberg can help you to determine your rights and he can fight for you to obtain the certainty you need.
If you are determined to be the father of the child, the court will proceed with a custody action to determine what kind of possession schedule and child support are in the best interests of the child. Mr. Youngberg can help you to navigate this kind of case and can help you to protect your rights and help you seek a relationship with the child that would be in his or her best interest. Contact us for a case evaluation.