Legal Question in Family Law in Texas

Re: Understanding a Divorce Decree

Your rights should be spelled out in the divorce decree. If you used an attorney, the information that you seek should all be there. If you obtained your divorce without an attorney and using certain "forms", etc, you may not have effectively allocated the rights and duties of the parents.

Generally, both parents are responsible to third parties for the expenses of the children. If you do not have a divorce decree, however, that properly allocates those expenses, then it is possible that you could have a difficult time getting any reimbursement. Most decrees clearly allocate responsibility for medical and dental expenses.

Whether you can move should also be in the decree. Many, if not most, decrees provide that you cannot move from your original county of divorce or an adjacent county. That might not be in your decree.

The provisions in a divorce decree affecting children may be modified at a later date including child support, possession, and rights and duties or the parents. You should contact an attorney and see what you have now and what needs to be changed.

If you did not have an attorney the first time, it is important to get one now. If you email me, I can give you the names of a couple of good Austin attoreys.