Modifications

Houston and Tomball Lawyer for Child Support and Custody Changes

Your life has probably changed in many ways since your divorce. If any of the major changes involve your income, your ex-spouse’s income, your location or the well-being of your children, you may need to take legal action to make sure that your child support and child custody orders reflect your new circumstances.

You may also need an attorney’s help with enforcement if your ex-spouse is failing to pay court-ordered child support or spousal support. Beginning with your initial consultation, experienced Texas family law attorney Holli M. Palmer can knowledgeably assess your case for a post-divorce modification or enforcement and help you take the best available action. Contact the Law Office of Holli M. Palmer today to learn more about our family law services regarding change of custody and/or changes in child support amounts.

Income-Driven and Needs-Driven Child Support Modifications

Even if all orders issued when your divorce became final were considered fair at the time, the law sets out procedures allowing you to petition for modifications if circumstances substantially change down the road. Petitioning for a child support modification is a fairly straightforward process, requiring proof of an income change as well as some financial documentation like W-2 forms and bank records, for example. Some common scenarios that might result in a modification of child support include:

• A job loss or job change that substantially reduces the net income of the noncustodial parent, necessitating a reduction in child support
• A change that substantially increases the net income of the parent paying support, causing the custodial parent to seek increased support for the children
• A substantial reduction or increase in the children’s needs, due to a medical condition or other serious circumstances.

Our laws are clear that there is a legal obligation to pay child support, and consequences for non-payers can be extremely serious. At the Law Office of Holli M. Palmer, we can help you take strong enforcement action – even if the attorney general’s office is already involved. We have also successfully helped parents targeted with enforcement actions negotiate for time to pay and other workable outcomes.

Assessing Your Case and Taking Action to Pursue Custody Modifications

Post-divorce modifications of child custody are less common, and the burden of proof is heavy, but we will provide honest, realistic counsel in situations including:

• Serious problems in the custodial parent’s home, such as violence, drug abuse, or a harmful lack of supervision
• A parental relocation that may not be in children’s best interests that would prevent the non-custodial parent from having their scheduled visitation

Our experience in divorce and custody disputes equips us well to provide counsel you can depend on. Holli Palmer’s experience as an attorney ad litem provides extensive insight into the psychological evaluations, social studies and other important factors.