In 2017, the Dallas Court of Appeals quietly and with zero fanfare released the In re Sting Soccer opinion. It is an unpublished memorandum opinion, but it chocks a huge, unexpected punch to discovery-as-we-knew-it. Basically, it makes a lot of our standard objections illegal, with the effect of broadening the scope of discovery immeasurably. Note
New Discovery Rules as of January 1, 2021 (Updated)
(This post has been updated to reflect the current and final information about the new 2021 discovery rules.)
The Texas Supreme Court has released new discovery rules that will be effective January 1, 2021. While these rules are still under review and subject to change, they are so significant that they warrant review now even
O’Neil interviewed on appellate law podcast
Appellate Lawyers Todd Smith of Austin and Jody Sanders of Fort Worth interviewed O’Neil Wysocki Senior Shareholder Michelle O’Neil about her family law appellate practice for their Texas Appellate Law Podcast. Check out the full interview here:
Appellate Review in Family Law Cases with Michelle O’Neil
Bostock opinion leaps forward with rights for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
The United States Supreme Court has moved a giant leap forward in LGBTQ+ rights with the latest opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia. To say this is a HUGE deal is an understatement. In 2015, when the Court solidified same-sex marriage, that right only applied to a smaller subset of people who wanted to
Behind on child support payments? Your stimulus check could be affected.
Most of the country is under a lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A lot of people are out of work, barely making ends meet, and are struggling to collect unemployment. There was a great relief when the President announced that every tax-paying citizen would receive a stimulus check in this time of crisis. However,
April 15th Summer Designations
Yes, I know we are all still worried about homeschooling, homecooking, and home cleaning while we are social-distancing and staying at home to avoid the Covid corona virus. However, April 15th is an important day for primary parents if you are operating under the Texas Standard Possession Schedule. In Texas April 15th is a deadline
April 1st designation for the non-primary conservator (even in light of Covid corona virus pandemic)
We are all social-distancing from each other and trying to stay home. We are home schooling, cooking at home, and watching Tiger King. Mostly we are just trying to co-exist in our own homes today. We aren’t thinking of what to do about summer, are we?
Well April 1st signals the day when parents under
Texas family courts and exchange of children during this state of disaster related to Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
One thing we know about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is that new information develops on a daily basis. The court system had to respond to the situation to resolve many issues that have arisen.
Will there still be family court hearings and trials in Dallas area courts in the state of disaster?
The Texas Supreme Court
January is divorce month
The month of January is known as “divorce month”. Courts all over the country see an uptick in divorce filings in January. But, why do people get divorced in January more than any other month?
Website statistics show an 84% increase in searches related to divorce in
Proving up attorneys fees — new case Rohrmoos Venture
The Texas Supreme Court recently laid out what evidence is needed to prove up attorneys fees at trial. This case has been lauded as one of the most important cases to come out of the Texas Supreme Court. In Rohrmoos Venture v. UTSW DVA Healthcare LLP (578 S.W.3d 469), the Court addressed two different methods