Blog Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 26-Sep-2018 Do I Have to Go to Court for a Divorce? If you and your spouse can no longer make the marriage work and you are now headed for divorce, you might be pondering over the logistics of this process, including whether it is necessary to go to court in order to accomplish the deed. The short ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 19-Sep-2018 Preventing Childhood Obesity: Tips for Co-Parents September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, giving us all a chance to spotlight an issue that many children are at risk of developing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 out of every 5 children in ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 12-Sep-2018 Can I Modify a Will in Texas? Life never remains the same and, therefore, it is important to be able to make changes to a will and ensure that it is kept up to date with the changes in your life. If your will is not updated, it will cease to reflect your current wishes. Why might ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 5-Sep-2018 Can I Get Child Support for My Adult Child If you have a minor child, you know that child support will cover his or her needs until the age of adulthood. However, what happens when your child is an adult and has disabilities? Oftentimes, children with special needs and disabilities continue ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 31-Aug-2018 When Children Can Have Their Own Attorney Divorce and child custody proceedings can be emotionally overwhelming. If a child’s parents cannot come to an agreement over legal decisions involving their children, a viable option might be appointing a child attorney. Although parents have ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 28-Aug-2018 What You Can Do If Your Ex Withholds Visitation While a child visitation agreement establishes the amount of time that a child spends with each parent, there are many cases when custodial parents—without any cause whatsoever—prevent noncustodial parents from seeing their kids for ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 24-Aug-2018 Remarriage in Texas: How It Affects Alimony & Child Support In a Texas divorce, one spouse is ordered by a judge to provide financial support to the other spouse and their children. But if the recipient spouse decides to get remarriage to cohabitates with a new significant other, how does this affect alimony ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 21-Aug-2018 How to Help Your Kids Cope with Divorce Going through a divorce is difficult, especially for your kids. For them, a divorce can feel like a devastating tragedy. They experience the loss of a parent, the loss of the family unit, or the loss of the life they once knew. Fortunately, you and ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 24-Jul-2018 Reasons to Update Your Estate Plan Designing an estate plan can be a time-consuming and emotionally complicated legal process. Once the paperwork is signed and notarized, people tend to make the mistake of assuming they’re 100% protected for the rest of their lives. While an old ... Continue Reading Posted By the Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 18-Jul-2018 How to Divorce Your Missing Spouse Couples always have the option of divorcing when their marriages don’t work out. Divorce can be a complicated and emotional legal process, but for many couples the benefits still outweigh the struggles. In some circumstances, divorce becomes a ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 13-Jul-2018 The Benefits of Having Durable Power of Attorney Documents An important function of a completed estate plan is to protect your medical choices and financial assets in the event of a medical emergency or your incapacitation. This is accomplished by having valid durable power of attorney documents for ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 2-Jul-2018 How Long Does Texas Law Require Me to Pay Spousal Maintenance? Questions about spousal maintenance are very common during divorce proceedings. In Texas, spouses may be eligible to receive spousal maintenance if they are unable to financially provide for themselves following a divorce. Texas law is very strict ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 26-Jun-2018 How To Divorce an Abusive Spouse Dealing with domestic abuse can be upsetting and dangerous. Whether the abuse is emotional, physical, or verbal, it can cause serious harm to everyone in the household. Domestic violence often takes places between spouses, but the abuse can also ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 19-Jun-2018 Who Can Be a Legal Guardian? Not all parenting relationships are straightforward, in fact, some are quite complex from both an emotional and legal standpoint. Some children are not cared for by their parents, instead, they have a legal guardian who looks out for their best ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 14-Jun-2018 How Long Will My Divorce Take? Once you have decided to end your marriage, you should know the basics about the divorce process, including how long it will take to obtain a divorce in Texas. Anyone who lives in Texas can file for a divorce with the local courts, even if the ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 4-Jun-2018 4 Tips To Make Co-Parenting Easier This Summer Sharing parenting responsibilities don’t always make the job easier. In fact, parenting alongside your ex is often a bit challenging, if not downright difficult. With summer just around the corner, it’s important to start the season off ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 31-May-2018 What Happens to Debt in a Divorce? One of the most confusing aspects of a Texas divorce case is determining the division of debt. When a couple files for divorce, any debts they have incurred are legally divided by a judge and recorded on the Final Decree of Divorce. The distribution ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 18-May-2018 Understanding Visitation Rights for Military Parents Understanding visitation rights is difficult enough under normal circumstances, and only gets more complicated when military service is involved. Because of this, both custodial and noncustodial military parents are required to have an advanced plan ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 7-May-2018 How Do Temporary Child Custody Orders Work? Determining child custody is often the most difficult part of any divorce or separation. Temporary child custody is intended to last until the child custody proceeding is finalized. Temporary custody is not automatically granted to either parent. The ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 3-May-2018 How to Survive Wedding Season After a Divorce The sadness and confusion of a divorce don’t end simply because legal documents have been signed. Whatever the circumstances of the separation, your life has irrevocably changed. Isolation is normal during this period, though not necessarily ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 24-Apr-2018 Could Mediation Be Better for Your Kids? When you and your spouse decide to file for divorce, there are many big decisions you have to make in a somewhat short period of time. If you share children, your priority is probably to make sure that they leave the divorce process as unscathed as ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 18-Apr-2018 How Could a Postnuptial Agreement Benefit Me? Most people know that they could draft a prenuptial agreement to protect themselves before a marriage, but did you know a postnuptial agreement could help you after the marriage has taken place? With a postnuptial agreement, spouses can outline their ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 9-Apr-2018 4 Common Divorce Mistakes Fathers Need To Avoid The divorce process is hard for both parents, and figuring out how to handle your own emotions while also providing support for your kids can be extremely taxing. On top of the emotional stress, you have to deal with the financial strain and the ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 5-Apr-2018 How To Tell Your Kids About Your Divorce Telling your kids that you’re getting a divorce can be one of the most difficult discussions you ever have. Most parents worry about how their children will take the news, whether they’ll be angry, sad, or a combination of the two. You ... Continue Reading Posted By Law Office of Kathryn Marteeny 26-Mar-2018 Do You Need a Trust For Your Estate Plan? There are several different aspects of a good estate plan, but a trust is one of the most important. Establishing a trust can help you avoid probate, and is also a great way to retain control over your assets while you live before they are divided ... Continue Reading