Texas Family Law Attorney Offers Two Pieces of Advice for Couples Contemplating Marriage, and Two For Couples Contemplating Divorce

/in /by

Family law attorneys don’t usually get to see couples before they marry. Most often, couples work with family law attorneys as they prepare for and navigate divorce. However, family law attorneys have a unique perspective on the things that can destroy marriages. In sharing this perspective with couples who are not yet married, it’s possible that family law attorneys could help prevent some divorces.

One essential piece of advice for couples who are contemplating marriage is to talk about money. Disagreements about money rank high on lists of issues that lead to divorce, and if one or both of you are hesitant to discuss finances, it’s worth taking time to think about why. It’s also worth taking time to work through your thoughts and feelings on money to develop a unified financial strategy. It’s a good idea to explore this area of your relationship, as well as many others, with the help of a premarital counselor. A premarital counselor can help you, and your potential future spouse come to know each other in ways that will benefit you immensely once you are married, by helping you explore potentially tricky topics together in a safe environment.

The second piece of advice that I have for couples who are considering marriage is to assess whether a prenuptial agreement would be useful for them. When you explore the question of whether the two of you might benefit from a prenuptial agreement, consider that Texas is a community property state. In a Texas divorce, each spouse gets to keep what they had before the marriage, and whatever they acquired during the marriage becomes part of the “community property,” which gets divided evenly between the spouses. If you’re approaching marriage with something, such as a business, that could grow in value during the marriage, it may be wise to make a prenuptial agreement if you would not want it split in half in the event of a divorce.

If you and your spouse have reached a point at which divorce seems inevitable, my first bit of advice to you would be to divorce sooner, rather than later, if you expect to be paying alimony. This is the last year that the federal income tax deduction for alimony is available, following the enactment of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. All divorces that involve the payment of alimony that settle before the end of 2018 are grandfathered, giving the paying spouse the ability to claim a tax deduction on the alimony they pay to a former spouse. Paying spouses whose divorces settle after that date will not have access to that deduction.

The second piece of financial advice that I have for divorcing couples is to be thorough in making changes to your personal documents after your divorce is final. Make a checklist of all of the changes that you need to make, and take care of them one by one. Beneficiary designations, social security information, estate planning documents like your will and health care power of attorney, all of these and more may need attention before your affairs are entirely in order as a divorced person.

Whether you are contemplating marriage or considering divorce, a Texas family law attorney can answer your family law questions. Call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra today, at (903) 753-7499 to schedule an initial consultation. You can also plan your consultation online by using our online contact form.

 

Texas Family Law Attorney Offers Two Pieces of Advice for Couples Contemplating Marriage, and Two For Couples Contemplating Divorce

/in /by

Family law attorneys don’t usually get to see couples before they marry. Most often, couples work with family law attorneys as they prepare for and navigate divorce. However, family law attorneys have a unique perspective on the things that can destroy marriages. In sharing this perspective with couples who are not yet married, it’s possible that family law attorneys could help prevent some divorces.

One essential piece of advice for couples who are contemplating marriage is to talk about money. Disagreements about money rank high on lists of issues that lead to divorce, and if one or both of you are hesitant to discuss finances, it’s worth taking time to think about why. It’s also worth taking time to work through your thoughts and feelings on money to develop a unified financial strategy. It’s a good idea to explore this area of your relationship, as well as many others, with the help of a premarital counselor. A premarital counselor can help you, and your potential future spouse come to know each other in ways that will benefit you immensely once you are married, by helping you explore potentially tricky topics together in a safe environment.

The second piece of advice that I have for couples who are considering marriage is to assess whether a prenuptial agreement would be useful for them. When you explore the question of whether the two of you might benefit from a prenuptial agreement, consider that Texas is a community property state. In a Texas divorce, each spouse gets to keep what they had before the marriage, and whatever they acquired during the marriage becomes part of the “community property,” which gets divided evenly between the spouses. If you’re approaching marriage with something, such as a business, that could grow in value during the marriage, it may be wise to make a prenuptial agreement if you would not want it split in half in the event of a divorce.

If you and your spouse have reached a point at which divorce seems inevitable, my first bit of advice to you would be to divorce sooner, rather than later, if you expect to be paying alimony. This is the last year that the federal income tax deduction for alimony is available, following the enactment of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. All divorces that involve the payment of alimony that settle before the end of 2018 are grandfathered, giving the paying spouse the ability to claim a tax deduction on the alimony they pay to a former spouse. Paying spouses whose divorces settle after that date will not have access to that deduction.

The second piece of financial advice that I have for divorcing couples is to be thorough in making changes to your personal documents after your divorce is final. Make a checklist of all of the changes that you need to make, and take care of them one by one. Beneficiary designations, social security information, estate planning documents like your will and health care power of attorney, all of these and more may need attention before your affairs are entirely in order as a divorced person.

Whether you are contemplating marriage or considering divorce, a Texas family law attorney can answer your family law questions. Call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra today, at (903) 753-7499 to schedule an initial consultation. You can also plan your consultation online by using our online contact form.

 

Texas DWI Defense Attorney Says Bar Owners and Police Are Working Together to Prevent DWIs

/in /by

Police in Kemah and other communities are becoming more creative when it comes to increasing their efforts to cut down on the number of DWI arrests they make. While it is true that law enforcement officers seek out and pull over drivers that they suspect are intoxicated, it is also true that they are much happier when they do not have to make those arrests. DWI traffic stops and arrests take time, somewhere between two to three hours apiece. Officers have plenty to do, so when DWI situations can be prevented, they are grateful for both the increase in public safety and the decrease in time spent dealing with those drivers out on the road.

Increased communication between law enforcement, bar owners, and bar staff is at the heart of the DWI prevention effort. Bar staff and owners conduct an ongoing conversation with area police regarding patrons’ degrees of intoxication. Staff are trained to recognize indicators of intoxication and to encourage patrons who seem intoxicated to stop drinking for the night and arrange for a sober ride home. When patrons express concern over leaving their vehicles in area parking lots overnight, law enforcement officers increase patrols to both protect the cars that stay in parking lots overnight and create a law enforcement presence in the area to deter would-be drunk drivers. If bar patrons are intoxicated and appear to be leaving the bar without an alternative way to get home, bar owners or staff communicate that to the police and the owners of other bars in the area, to make it easier for police to catch would-be drunk drivers before they go on the road. It can also stop them from walking into other bars and having even more drinks.

Public intoxication is a lesser offense than drunk driving, and officers report that while they have been making more arrests for public intoxication since the effort started, they are making fewer DWI arrests. This means that the increased communication provided to them by the owners and staff of local bars is helping the officers locate and arrest at least some would-be drivers for public intoxication before they can commit more serious crimes like DWI.

Police and bar owners report that while the ongoing communication between them takes time and effort, they feel that they can make a more significant impact by discouraging people from drinking and driving than they would by arresting those individuals for DWI, one by one. Some of the things that bar owners and staff have learned, in addition to how to handle drunk patrons in a way that encourages them to seek safe transportation, are how to detect fake IDs and how to write incident reports to keep track of patron activities. The effort has been going on for about a year, and both bar owners and law enforcement are pleased. The number of arrests has declined, and bar owners feel as though focusing extra attention on their guests provides additional safety for them and contributes positively to their experience.

Texas DWI Defense Attorney Alex Tyra – You Ally Against DWI Charges

A seasoned Texas DWI defense attorney can help you understand your rights, protect your freedom, and make a plan for resolving your DWI case. Call Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Alex Tyra, at (903) 753-7499, or fill out a contact form on our website.