Child Custody and Support Lawyer

If you are going through a divorce in Houston and need help with child custody and support, Gregory Law PLLC can help. If you have minor children, you will have to decide what each parent’s custody rights are and what kind of financial support will be given for the care of the children. This process can be complicated, and emotions are often high.

To ensure the best outcome for you and your children, contact Gregory Law PLLC for help. We will be able to advocate for your rights and for the best interest of your children to ensure that you get to see them as much as possible. To learn more about how we can help you during your divorce proceedings, contact us today at (713) 861-1293.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer to Handle My Custody and Support Case?

Child support and child custody are awarded by the courts and are based on attorney petitions for the awards. While divorcing spouses may have an amicable divorce and informally agree on these issues regarding their children, without an attorney petitioning the court and the court issuing the award, none of the informal agreements are legally binding and can stop at any time.

When it comes to more contentious divorces, an attorney can advocate for your rights and interests against your spouse. They can gather the evidence necessary to show that you will provide the best home for your children and that you need/should not have to pay child support, depending on the situation.

Why Choose Gregory Law PLLC?

At Gregory Law PLLC, we understand that deciding matters for minor children in a divorce is emotional and stressful. With over 40 years of experience handling child custody and child support cases in Houston, our staff has the knowledge and skills to make sure that what is in the best interest of your children is codified and enforced. We know how much is at stake, and we take our responsibility to protect you and your family seriously. We will work to obtain the most favorable outcome on your behalf, and will take great pains to reduce the potentially negative impact that custody disputes can have on your children.

When you work with us, you know that you have an experienced and compassionate legal team on your side. We are here to represent your best interests, and wish to see you spend as much time with your children as you can. We will listen to you and will make sure that you are kept informed throughout the process. It’s our job to fight for you, so contact us to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your situation right away.

Custody and Support Cases We Handle

At Gregory Law PLLC, we are experienced in helping you with all the legal aspects of these custody and support issues:

• Child Support: Unfortunately, many children experience a decline in their standard of living following a divorce, simply because the financial resources that were available when a couple was married and in one household are now being distributed between two separate households. Child support should cover the financial necessities of life that children need. These include, but are not limited to, food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education. Not only can a lawyer ensure that minor children are legally entitled to support, but they can also legally ensure that the parent responsible for child support fulfills that obligation.
• Child Custody: Custody of children should not be a contentious part of divorces, but it often is. In some cases of divorce, one parent is unfit (mental illness, substance abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, physical abuse, etc.) and should not be awarded custody of any kind. In other cases, custody may be shared between parents, or there may be designated times during the year, such as summers and holidays, that each parent gets custody. An attorney can help to make sure that custodianship of minor children is fair and legally-binding with the courts.
• Visitation Rights: From a legal standpoint, neither parent has inherent visitation rights until the court establishes them or a parenting plan is enacted. Therefore, a non-custodial parent must have an attorney to help create a visitation schedule that both parents agree upon. The attorney will then make sure the court establishes the visitation schedule, which is legally binding. A lawyer can also help enforce the visitation rights of the non-custodial parent when those rights are being violated.
• Rights/Duties: In child custody and child support matters, each parent’s rights and duties to their minor children need to be explicitly stated and enforced. These will include what each parent is entitled to with regard to their minor children and what each parent is obligated to provide for their minor children. An attorney can make sure that these rights and duties are part of the divorce settlement (legally-binding), and can work in the legal system to make sure they are upheld by both parents.
• Paternity Actions: In cases where two people are not married but have minor children together, it is necessary to establish paternity to have the courts award and enforce child support and/or custody after the relationship ends. An attorney will file the parentage suit to ask the father to undergo a DNA test to determine whether the minor child/children are biologically related to him. If the father refuses to take the DNA test, then an attorney can file a paternity lawsuit to force the father to undergo the test.
• Geographic Restrictions: Geographic restrictions are sometimes part of the child custody area of divorces. Geographic restrictions establish the children’s primary residence with the custodial parent in one county while dictating that the non-custodial parent not live any further away than a certain distance from the primary residence. Since the court has jurisdiction over geographical restrictions, an attorney will need to help establish those and enforce them.
• High-Conflict Custody: There may be many reasons why child custody becomes such a contentious issue in divorces. There may be allegations of some kind of abuse against one parent that would limit custodial rights, and the parent is fighting those allegations vigorously. Some divorces are so acrimonious that, sadly, the custody of the minor children becomes the issue that both parents refuse to negotiate about or compromise on. An attorney can create a roadmap for resolving the conflict and getting a final and fair judgment for both the children and the parents.
• Grandparents’ Rights: Grandparents of minor children whose parents are divorcing are profoundly affected by the divorce, and often one set of grandparents no longer gets to spend much, if any time, with their grandchildren. A lawyer can help make sure both sets of grandparents have legally-binding visitation rights when it is in the best interest of the minor children to do so.

If you are dealing with any of these issues surrounding child support and custody, Gregory Law PLLC can advise you on the best course of action to take and advocate for your rights.

Contact Us

Gregory Law PLLC has helped people just like you with custody and support questions for over four decades. We provide legal services to all families in the greater Houston area, as well as in the rest of Texas, and we are here to help you. Gregory Law PLLC is bilingual, and we offer all of our services in both English and Spanish.

When it comes to your children, no battle is too big or too small. Turn to a legal team that has the right experience and skill to get a favorable outcome for you and those who matter the most to you. Contact us at (713) 861-1293 or email us to schedule a confidential consultation today. Let us fight for you and your family.