Archive for August, 2016

Texas Family Law Attorney Offers Back to School Tips for Divorce Clients

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

The start of a new school year brings up a wide variety of feelings for both children and their parents. When a family is navigating a divorce, there are even more feelings and practical concerns that must be acknowledged to ensure a smooth transition from summertime to the academic year for children and parents. Divorcing families may find the following information helpful as they begin the school year:

It is often the case that any routines that a family has in place at the beginning of a summer slip out of the picture by the time that it is time to return to school. The start of the school year is a crucial time to reestablish routines because a lot of things happen in the family’s life each day. Routines provide a blueprint for navigating all of those things. Divorcing parents often find that when they have similar routines in their separate households, the entire family thrives. Whether the two of you communicate well or not, the subject of household and school day routines is something that if you make an effort to work together, everyone’s life will run more smoothly, and each of you will be better able to focus on enjoying your children and supporting them in school and life. At the most basic level, compare notes on household routines and make sure that they are similar enough that they do not clash. They do not have to be the same, but, for example, if there is screen time after dinner in one household but not in the other, there is potential for conflict which could be avoided by simply having routines that are more similar. Also, be sure that the kids know what to expect from each parent (and what each parent expects of them) on school days and weekends.

Whether your children are attending the same school that they were last year or a different school, it is important for each parent to be familiar with each child’s school and their new teachers. Teachers are best able to serve the children in their classrooms when they know both the child and their parents. They also benefit from knowing basic information about what has been going on lately in your family. If you are the parent who has primary legal rights and responsibilities for your children, make sure that your children’s school, teachers, doctors, coaches, and anyone else that your kids spend time with knows that they are to share information about your children freely with your children’s other parent. It is the right thing to do, and it will also save you the work of having to make copies, send messages, and make phone calls to share the information yourself. Also, it is important that parents understand that most children wish that both parents could be there to see them perform, play sports, or do whatever it is that they are doing at the event. This does not mean that the two of you have to sit together, but consider making an agreement with your children’s other parent that both of you can attend all of their school events.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Divorce Support for Texas Families

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.

Texas DWI Defense Attorney Talks About DWI with a Child Passenger

Wednesday, August 17th, 2016

Police recently arrested a pregnant woman whom they suspect was driving under the influence of alcohol. The early morning incident occurred near West University Place. An officer responded to a call to assist a disabled vehicle, and when the officer arrived he found a woman behind the wheel of the car and two children in the back seat. The officer noticed that the woman smelled of alcohol and was slurring her speech. The woman admitted to drinking alcohol before driving her vehicle, and she also told the officer that she is six months pregnant.

Texas drivers should be aware that DWI with a child passenger is a different offense than DWI without a child passenger. It is a state jail felony in Texas to drive while you are intoxicated, and there are one or more passengers in your vehicle who are under fifteen years of age. Individuals convicted of DWI with a child passenger could face between one hundred and eighty days and two years in state jail. The can also be fined up to ten thousand dollars. They could also lose eligibility for certain types of government assistance, voting rights, ability to run for public office, and gun ownership and possession rights. They could even face disqualification from certain professions.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned consequences are only some of the ways that DWI with a child passenger could affect your life. Perhaps the most painful consequences that come with a DWI with a child passenger are those which affect the driver’s family life. When a driver is charged with DWI with a child passenger, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services may remove the child or children from the driver’s custody. They may also pursue a child endangerment case against the driver. Losing custody of your children to the Department of Family and Protective Services, even temporarily, can be scary and devastating, even if your kids can be placed in the care of family or friends for the duration of you custody case. Parents and children suffer greatly both during and after child custody cases, and it can be a long and complicated process to navigate before everyone is back together under one roof, if the family can work through the process successfully.

Texas DWI Defense Attorney Alex Tyra – Support for Texas Drivers Facing DWI Charges

If you are charged with DWI with a child passenger, you are likely to be concerned about your family’s future as well as any consequences that you may have to endure. Your Texas DWI defense attorney can do many things to build a strong case on your behalf, especially if you contact them early on in your case. If you are accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, either with or without a child passenger, give yourself the best chance at a positive outcome in your case by contacting a knowledgeable Texas DWI Defense Attorney right away. Call Texas DWI Defense Attorney Alex Tyra, at (903) 753-7499, or you may contact us online through our convenient online contact form.

Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Wants You to Take Misdemeanor Charges Seriously

Monday, August 1st, 2016

Defendants charged with misdemeanors sometimes choose to handle their cases on their own without the aid of an attorney. If you are charged with any misdemeanor, please know that facing misdemeanor charges on your own is risky and could result in serious consequences. Fortunately, an experienced Texas criminal defense attorney can reduce the risk of those consequences and help you through each stage of your misdemeanor case from start to finish.

One thing that your attorney will do is help you understand your rights, as well as the process that your misdemeanor case will go through from beginning to end. In addition to helping you understand your rights, your attorney can help you protect those rights and defend them if they have been violated.

Another way in which your attorney will help you is that they can explain the various options for resolving your case. You may be eligible probation or diversion, and those programs may sound appealing. It is important that you fully understand what each of those options entails before you decide which way to proceed with your case so that you can ensure that you are making the best choice for yourself. For example, in some cases, defendants who sign off on probation agreements without understanding what those agreements require of them are at a high risk for violating probation. In other cases, defendants who work with their attorneys to negotiate probation agreements that contain conditions that they feel reasonably confident that they can fulfill are likely to complete probation successfully.

Did you know that the punishments for some misdemeanors are rather severe? Defendants convicted of misdemeanors are subject to fines and/or jail time, and a misdemeanor conviction could also have consequences that can reach far into the future. For example, you could experience difficulties in finding a job, getting public assistance, or finding a place to live. A conviction could even affect your ability to have custody of your children.

In addition to the usual risks that come along with handling a misdemeanor case on one’s own, defendants in Harris County who represent themselves in misdemeanor cases could be unlawfully jailed. County statistics show that only eight and one-half percent of individuals arrested on misdemeanor charges and who are not released without bond before trial may be released on personal bonds. Personal bonds differ from other types of bail bonds because they do not require the use of a bail bondsman or the use of cash. Unfortunately, while those eight and one-half percent of misdemeanor defendants pay their personal bonds and get released and other defendants obtain release before trial without bond, hundreds of other misdemeanor defendants spend time in jail for charges of shoplifting or trespassing because they cannot afford to post bail.

Your Texas criminal defense attorney will help you understand both the short-term and long-term consequences of a conviction. Perhaps even more importantly, they are your best defense against being convicted. If you face misdemeanor charges, call Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Alex Tyra today, to schedule a free consultation. Call us at (903) 753-7499, or visit us online to submit a convenient online contact form.