Family law: custody, support, and divorce
Texas family law starts with a vocabulary problem: the order a parent walks out
with does not award custody. Courts appoint conservators and issue possession orders. The
guide to child custody and conservatorship explains
who gets which rights and duties, the
standard possession order guide walks
through the usual schedule, and how child support is
calculated works the guideline formula step by step. For unmarried parents,
establishing paternity comes first.
Later questions have their own guides:
modifying custody or support,
enforcing a visitation order,
grandparent rights,
how divorce works in Texas,
moving with a child,
collecting unpaid support, and
protective orders where family violence is
involved. Questions about the marriage itself get their own treatment too:
whether an informal marriage exists,
court-ordered spousal maintenance, and
changing a name by petition or in a divorce decree.
All fourteen sit in the family law section.
Renters: deposits, repairs, and eviction
Most of what a Texas tenant needs sits in two chapters of the Texas Property Code:
chapter 92 for the ordinary life of a lease, chapter 24 for how a tenancy ends in court.
An eviction is not a lockout. It is a lawsuit filed in justice court, and the
eviction guide follows it one stage at a time. The
security deposit guide covers the refund
deadline and what a landlord may lawfully deduct, and
getting repairs made explains the notice the statute
requires first. Two more cover a tenancy that ends without a judge:
a landlord who changes the locks or
cuts a utility, and a tenant who needs to leave
before the lease runs out. The renters' rights section holds
all five.
Debt collectors and small claims
Chapter 392 of the Texas Finance Code and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices
Act both regulate collectors, and the
debt collection guide sorts out which law covers
whom. The small claims guide covers bringing or
defending a modest civil case in justice court, where most people appear without a
lawyer. An old balance raises the four-year
limitations period, and a judgment raises what a creditor can actually collect, which
the wage garnishment guide answers with the state's
exemptions. All four live in the debt and small claims section.
What happens to an estate
Death moves property whether or not anyone planned for it.
Dying without a will works through the shares the Texas
Estates Code assigns, the probate process covers
what a court actually does with an estate, and
the small estate affidavit covers the
short route, along with the limit that catches people out when a house is involved. For
planning ahead, what makes a will valid covers
witnesses and the self-proving affidavit, and
powers of attorney covers who can act for a
person during life. All five sit in the probate and inheritance
section.
Pay, and the end of a job
Texas governs two moments at the end of a job closely, and both run on short
deadlines. Getting a final paycheck covers when
the last check is due after a firing or a resignation and how a wage claim is filed.
Unemployment benefits covers who qualifies and
how an appeal works. Both are in the
employment and wage section.
Bad deals, bad cars, and stolen identities
Texas has no single consumer protection code. The
Deceptive Trade Practices Act is the
general statute, and a second guide covers
the notice and the deadline a claim has
to meet. A new car with a defect the dealer cannot fix runs through
a state agency complaint, while
a repair already done badly raises whether the shop
can keep the car. For personal data, read
what the identity theft chapter actually provides
and freezing a credit report. All six are in the
consumer protection section.