Family Law

• Divorce
  Collaborative divorce may not be right for every person or every divorce, but if you are at all interested in using collaborative law in your divorce or custody case, it’s worth discussing with an Austin collaborative family attorney who is well-versed and experienced in collaborative family law. In Austin, contact Lazar Law at 512-477-1600.
• Child Support
  Child support in Texas may seem formulaic, but you must understand how the formulas work in order to calculate child support properly. And no one pays child support until there is a court order to do so. The obligation to pay child support kicks in when parents no longer live together and a court order for child support sets out enforceable legal rights and responsibilities with consequences in the event child support is not paid. Our Austin child support attorneys at Lazar Law can make sure child support orders are fair to you and your children.
• Child Custody and Visitation
  It’s natural to have a lot of questions when you are dealing with a divorce, child custody dispute or other family law matter. The Austin family law attorneys at Lazar Law have compiled a few of the questions they encounter most often when advising and representing individuals in divorce and other family law matters in Austin, Round Rock and other communities throughout the Austin Metroplex. If you have other questions or want to talk to an attorney about divorce, custody or other family law matters in the greater Austin area, contact Lazar Law at 512-477-1600 to speak with an experienced Austin family lawyer.
• Adoption
• Paternity
  Parentage can be important for a number of other reasons as well, including giving the child the father’s name and establishing rights to inheritance, medical benefits, Social Security, and veterans benefits as a dependent of the father. Establishing paternity can also strengthen the emotional bond between parent and child and reinforce the child’s sense of identity and connection to his or her family.
• Premarital Agreement
  Prenuptial or premarital agreements can help you start your marriage off on a firm foundation, with a full understanding of family finances and knowing you will be taken care of and not taken advantage of should the status of the marriage later change. If you’re already married, a post-marital agreement can provide that same level of comfort and security. Whether you’ve been married before or have children from a previous relationship to consider, or you’re entering a marriage with a partner from disparate economic situations, we’ll look out for you with advice and representation in negotiating, drafting or reviewing all manner of marital agreements, including cohabitation agreements as well.
• Spousal Support
  You won’t find the word Alimony in the Texas statutes that govern divorce, and you may hear people say that Texas is a No-Alimony state, which means you may think that Alimony won’t play a role in your divorce. More often than not, Alimony needs to be considered as part of the strategy for your divorce. See below for more information about how Alimony works in Texas family law, and contact the Austin alimony attorneys at Lazar Law with other questions or for advice and representation in a divorce in Travis County and surrounding areas.
• Legal Separation
  A. There is no such thing as “legal separation” in Texas. In order to have court orders that address child custody and visitation, child support, the payment of temporary spousal support and how the financial obligations will be met during separation, you need to file for divorce in order to get temporary orders, which are orders that govern during a separation. If you want to separate without filing for divorce, you can create a separation agreement to set important boundaries and makes sure both parties are in agreement on how to deal with important issues.
• Annulment
  A. An annulment is only available in Texas under very limited circumstances, which can be found in sections 6.102 – 6.110 of the Texas Family Code. Some of these reasons are...

Trusts and Estates

• Trusts
  Child Support – Texas law allows the courts to extend child support beyond when child support typically terminates at age 18, including payment of support indefinitely. Once a special needs child turns 18, both parents’ income and ability to pay child support are taken into consideration. It is also essential to account for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or other public benefits when paying child support to maintain eligibility for these valuable government services. We know how to obtain orders that provide for child support payments to a Special Needs Trust in order to preserve eligibility for government benefits.