Katy, Texas Child Custody and Visitation Lawyer

Attorney for Conservatorship of Children in Fort Bend County

When the parents of underage children divorce or separate, the well-being of the children should always be the top priority. But in the turbulent environment of divorce proceedings, time with the children can sometimes become just one more bargaining chip. To protect the best interests of you and your children, you need a strong divorce lawyer with wisdom gained from experience.

At The Foray Firm, we understand that many parents have a deep-seated fear of losing their children and that this fear may surface as anger, distrust, and/or difficulty making decisions. You can rely on us for wise counsel as we guide you through the decisions that have to be made. In more than a decade of legal practice, we have helped hundreds of parents develop customized child custody and visitation agreements, also known as parenting plans.

Texas Law on Child Custody

The attorneys of The Foray Firm Houston are dedicated to the same principles that Texas law defines for the parent-child relationship:

• That decisions about child custody should be made based on qualifications, not gender, marital status, or other personal attributes.
• That children should have frequent contact with parents who have shown the ability to act in the children's best interest.
• That children deserve safe, stable living conditions.
• That parents should share in the rights and duties of raising their children.

Sole, Joint, and Possessory Conservatorship

The Foray Firm Houston will help you determine what type of custody arrangement will work best for your family.

When children have two fit parents, there are two ways of dividing parental responsibilities. State law presumes that joint managing conservatorship is best for children. The alternative is for one parent to have sole managing conservatorship while the other parent has possessory conservatorship.

In joint conservatorship, both parents share the responsibility to make major decisions about a child's life and share physical possession of a child. Joint managing conservatorship does not necessarily mean that parents will have near-equal periods of physical possession. Texas law defines a standard possession order, or parenting time schedule, that provides a "reasonable minimum" amount of time with a child for a joint or possessory conservator. However, parents are free to deviate from the standard order and develop their own parenting schedule and division of duties, subject to approval of the court.

A sole conservator has the exclusive right to make major decisions about the child's education, primary residence, and medical treatments, among others. Parenting time is divided between the sole conservator and the possessory conservator following the same guidelines as for joint conservators.

When a parent has a history of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or child neglect, the court will not allow that parent to be a joint or sole conservator and may deny or restrict that parent's access to the children.

Fort Bend County Child Custody and Visitation Lawyers

The attorneys of The Foray Firm are dedicated to providing reliable legal representation to families of all races, ethnicities, and genders. Contact us in our Houston, TX office at 832-919-6400. We serve clients throughout Houston, Harris County, Waller County, and Fort Bend County, including the communities of Fulshear, Katy, Richmond, and Sugar Land.