With Strength And Compassion
Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC
On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that effectively abolished the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) that president Bill Clinton signed into law in 1996. Although President Clinton stated that DOMA would have a limited impact, it became a major headache for gay couples who were denied benefits available to heterosexual couples. It was only a…
Adoption plays a significant part in the life of Texas families. Adoption creates a parent-child relationship between the child and the adoptive parents for all purposes. Once the adoption is finalized, the adopted child is entitled to inherit from and through the adoptive partners as though the child were their biological child. Obviously, the opposite also holds true. That is,…
Many factors contribute to determining spousal support in Texas. These support payments may also alter other parts of the divorce agreement, such as property distribution. If an agreement on this issue is unable to be reached between spouses in Texas, the District Court will order the spousal support considering many factors before making a final decision. The court must decide…
A recent research study highlights the connection between individuals feeling depressed and a lack of support from their spouse. The study found a strong link between the relationships that an individual has with their loved ones and their likelihood of experiencing depression in the future. There’s a strong association between fighting and lack of support early on and emotional problems…
There is much debate among parents, kids, and awareness groups when it comes to child abuse. However, Texas law does define child abuse. Chapter 261 of the Texas Family Code states that child abuse is considered anything that is an act or omission of an act that directly endangers or in some way impairs the child’s physical, mental, or emotional…
Divorced parents may wonder whether their adolescent children behave the way they do because they are just at that age or because of the divorce. The truth is that it may be both, according to an article in the Huffington Post. The teen years are a time when many kids start to become independent and establish an identity for themselves.…
One of the biggest happenings in the news this year is the Supreme Court addressing the issue of same sex marriages. However, according to My FOX Houston, states that do not support same sex marriage are having to address issues of same sex divorce. When different states across the nation were passing laws making same sex marriage legal, same sex…
While it’s a common fact that divorce rates have been on the rise since the 1950s, it’s been several decades, according to the Huffington Post, since Americans have done much to curb the consequences of divorce on families. It was for the reason, reports the Huffington Post, that in 2001 interested parties “launched the Coalition for Divorce Reform (CDR), a…
In the midst of planning your wedding, many legal experts say you and your future spouse should also be creating your prenup. A prenuptial agreement is a legal agreement between two people who marry that deals with the financial consequences should the marriage not work out. Every couple has a prenup in place when they get married – it’s called…
According to San Antonio Magazine, the “late author Nora Ephron once compared having a baby to throwing a hand grenade into a marriage.” This could be one reason that more and more married couples are opting to not have children, and those that do are less likely to have more than two. According to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistical Abstract,…