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Direct Answer Yes, 50/50 custody can happen in Texas. But there is a huge difference between parents agreeing to 50/50 and a judge ordering 50/50 after a contested fight. In my experience, 50/50 schedules are very rare in contested cases, especially in Montgomery County. The reason is simple: if two parents cannot agree on how custody should work, judges are often skeptical that those same parents can successfully operate a high-cooperation 50/50 schedule. That does not mean

Short Answer/TLDR A Standard Possession Order is the parenting-time schedule Texas courts often use when one parent has primary possession and the other parent has regular possession and access. The details can vary depending on the distance between the parents, the age of the child, the school calendar, and whether expanded provisions apply. But the basic point is this: the Standard Possession Order is the baseline schedule Texas courts frequently return to in contested cust

Short Answer/TLDR In Texas custody cases, the “primary” parent is a short-hand way to talk about the parent conservator that is granted the right to designate the primary residence of the child. That right is important because many other practical issues flow from it. The primary parent usually has the right to enroll the child in school. The other parent is usually ordered to pay child support. The possession schedule is usually built around the child primarily residing with

Short Answer; tldr Joint managing conservatorship means both parents have rights and duties regarding major parenting decisions, though those rights may not be identical. Sole managing conservatorship means one parent has certain exclusive decision making rights that the other parent does not have. A lot of parents here the words "joint conservatorship" and make a the understandable mistake of believing that they will receive equal parenting time. However, joint managing cons

Looney Law PLLC is excited to welcome Nina Kinser to the firm as a certified paralegal!

The Short Answer When parents come into my office to talk about “custody,” they usually mean the big question: Who gets the kids? Texas child custody law breaks that question into separate parts. The first part is conservatorship. Conservatorship is about parental rights, duties, and decision-making. The second part is possession and access. Possession and access is about the schedule—when each parent has physical time with the child. It's an important distinction. A parent c

When parents search for information about child custody in Texas, they are usually not looking for a law school outline. They are worried about their children, their schedule, their rights, child support, and whether a judge is going to see the situation the way they see it. Over the next several weeks, Looney Law PLLC will be publishing a practical, plain-English series on common child custody laws in Texas. The goal is not to turn parents into lawyers. The goal is to help p

Most Texas divorce cases settle before trial. One of the main ways that happens is through mediation. Mediation is a process where both sides meet with a neutral third-party mediator who tries to help them reach an agreement. The mediator does not act as the judge. The mediator does not decide who is right or wrong. Instead, the mediator goes back and forth between the parties, carries offers, points out risks, and helps everyone see whether a settlement is possible. That sou

Divorce in Texas is not just a legal process. For most people, it is a financial crisis, a parenting crisis, and an emotional crisis all happening at the same time. When someone asks, “How does divorce work in Texas?” what they are usually asking is something much more personal: How much is this going to cost me? What is going to happen to my house, my retirement, and my debt? How much time am I going to lose with my children? How long is this going to take? And maybe most im

When new clients come into my office, I often hear the same request: “I want a bulldog. Someone aggressive. Someone who will fight tooth and nail.” It’s not hard to understand where this comes from. When you’re facing divorce, custody disputes, or litigation with someone you once trusted, the urge to “go for the throat” can be strong. You want to feel protected. You want someone in your corner who won’t back down. But here’s the truth: not every case needs a bulldog. And in m

In choosing a concise way to define the unique identity of my law firm, I chose to use two simple words: advice and counsel. Though these...