Often in Texas divorce cases, lawyers are tasked with determining the divisible interest in a professional corporation. This involved determining the individual's interest in the corporation and then obtaining the value of the interest.… Continue Reading
In a county versus county venue dispute, Husband filed in County A in Texas and, one month later, Wife filed in County B in Texas. When cases involving the same subject matter are filed in different counties, the first filed suit has dominant jurisdiction.… Continue Reading
Here is the list of action items that a divorced party may still need to address once the decree is entered. Ms. Gammill points out that a person doesn't need to face this list alone. He or she can employ professionals to accomplish many of these tasks.… Continue Reading
At the beginning of any year, there is usually an influx in divorce filings in Texas. Many people delay initiating divorce proceedings until after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.… Continue Reading
Our firm operates on a team basis - when you hire one of us, you get all of us. Michelle May O'Neil leads the team. She is a 21-year veteran family law specialist, well known for her ability to put together effective strategies in complex cases.… Continue Reading
September 1, 2013 marked the date for changes to the Texas spousal maintenance statutes. Specifically, the Texas Legislature clarified a Court's ability to enforce by contempt a person's violation of payment of Chapter 8 spousal maintenance.… Continue Reading
This is the fifth in my line of posts responding to the questions posed by Carla Schiff Donnelly in her article about hiring the right divorce lawyer.… Continue Reading
The most important factor is reaching a good settlement in a case is knowledge -- having all of the information needed to negotiate with. In a case with complex assets to divide, this may mean having a valuation expert complete an analysis on the value of the community property business. Or, knowing the method of dividing certain complex employment benefits.… Continue Reading
Any person who is on the receiving end of a lawsuit in Texas is entitled to what is called "personal service." Personal service is where a constable or a private process server comes up to the person on the receiving end of a lawsuit, asks if they are that person, and personally hands them a copy of the original petition and citation.… Continue Reading
This is the third in my line of posts responding to the questions posed by Carla Schiff Donnelly in her article about hiring the right divorce lawyer. There, she poses several questions that a person should ask a divorce lawyer in the initial interview.… Continue Reading
Every person on the receiving end of a lawsuit in Texas is entitled to personal service of a copy of the original filing or filings in that lawsuit. This includes a divorce in Texas.… Continue Reading
Today is the 10-year anniversary of the beginning of my law firm. What a great time it has been! I have been practicing family law in Texas for 22 years, 16 of those years in Dallas… Continue Reading
Regardless of whether the Supreme Court reaches the constitutionality of same-sex marriage in Hollingsworth or Windsor, this is a matter requires clarity and guidance from our legislature.… Continue Reading
The U.S. Supreme Court has found no automatic right to counsel for indigent civil defendants facing jail time, though it ruled on behalf of a father who served a year in prison for failing to pay child support.
Free lawyers aren't required in such situations, but states must have procedural safeguards in place to help determine whether the parent is able to comply with the support order, according to the majority opinion (PDF) by Justice Stephen G. Breyer.… Continue Reading
Most of our clients are very comfortable using email for their informal correspondence to friends and family. Not every client is accustomed to using email as a form of business communication, however. In some instances misuse of email in client correspondence can misdirect and even hinder an attorney's effectiveness in the case.… Continue Reading
Dallas Family Law Attorney Michelle May O'Neil was cited in an article published today in the Texas Lawyer news magazine. The article entitled Toddler Tug of War: Mother and Couple at Odds in Parental Rights Termination Case by John Council discusses a case pending in the Houston 1st Court of Appeals seeking to terminate a mother's parental rights when the baby was secreted from the mother by the father and unknowingly placed with a prospecitve adoptive family.… Continue Reading
