dallas fathers rights attorney Mark Nacol

Feb
20

Beware of Trusts in High Asset Marriages!

Consider the legal consequences of Trusts regarding the characterization of marital property, especially Trusts created by separate property prior or after marriage.  A Trust can be a creative and useful tool depending on the perspective and actual need of the parties.  To a spouse owning substantial separate property, an irrevocable Trust may be a safe haven that will guard the separate property and potentially the income from the separate property against property divisions in a Divorce Court.  On the other hand, in some cases, a spouse that has no separate property may be defrauded by the other spouse.

The Texas Courts have indicated that separate Trusts created prior to marriage, that are irrevocable spendthrift Trusts are a valid means to shelter separate property of the marriage and the income from the trusts are not subject to division during the divorce proceedings.  The beneficiary of the separate Trust (the spouse with the separate trust or beneficiary of a separate trust) do not have a present possessory right to any asset within the corpus of the Trusts.  If the spouse is granted a present possessory right to any portion of the trust in the trusts, then the income from the Trusts may be divided in a Divorce Court as community property.

This is an area of concern to the other spouse. If you are married to an unsavory spouse, where separate property assets owned prior to the marriage are put into an irrevocable spendthrift trust, take measure to insure no money or other property acquired during the marriage is siphoned into those separate Trusts. One spouse may siphon community property throughout the marriage into separate Trusts in order to deplete the community estate. This constitutes fraud on the community estate and the innocent spouse may seek adequate compensation.

It is important to hire an experienced attorney that understand the intricacies of Trusts and the part Trusts can play in sheltering community funds from a spouse during the marriage. Many wealthy men or women may abuse the Trust formation to defraud their spouses from fair community property allocation.  Wealthy spouses may use irrevocable or discretionary Trusts created prior to the marriage for asset protection instead of using prenuptial agreements or post marriage property agreements. The case law is still not completely settled in Texas regarding irrevocable Trust as they pertain to divorce and it is important to hire an attorney that can help guide you through these complexities and insure you are not being defrauded or taken advantage of in a divorce proceeding.

By Nacol Law Firm P.C. | Property and Asset Division
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Aug
05

Child Abuse and Family Violence in Texas

The Texas Family Code defines Family Violence as an act by a member of the family or household against another member that is intended to result in physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or a threat on a family member in danger of imminent physical harm.  This abuse is defined as physical injury that results in substantial harm or genuine threat of sexual, intercourse or conduct; or encouraging the child to engage in sexual conduct.

What does “family” include?  Individuals related by blood or affinity, marriage or former marriage, biological parents of the same child, foster children, and members or former members of the same household (including roommates).

What about child abuse?

Some very interesting statistics:

  • A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds

  • More than four children die every day as a result of child abuse

  • 70% of children that die from abuse are under age of 4

  • Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level within all ethnic and cultural lines and all religions and all levels of education!

  • Approximately 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children

Statistics re: childhelp.org

In Texas (2008 Crime in Texas.com), victims are primarily female (75%) and the offenders are primarily male (77%). The primarily weapon involved in family violence is physical force with the use of hands, feet or fists (78%).

How can you know if child abuse exists in a household?

Look for these most common child abuse indicators in children:

  • Injuries that are unexplained

  • Major and sudden changes in a child’s behavior

  • Return to earlier behavior: such as bed wetting, thumb sucking, and fear of dark or strangers or more serious language or memory problems

  • Serious fear of going home

  • Changes in eating or sleeping habits

  • Changes in school performance or attendance

  • Lack of personal care or hygiene

  • New risk taking behaviors

  • Inappropriate sexual behavior

If you are a family member, friend, teacher, or child-care giver of a child who has started displaying very different behaviors or showing injuries, it is imperative that you contact someone who can either help this child or prevent any more family violence from occurring in this child’s family. This child and family need help now!

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By Nacol Law Firm P.C. | Domestic Violence . Impact on Children
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Mediation : Alternative Dispute Resolution

“Mediation” is a process to aid parties in finding a fair and equitable settlement of disputes without unnecessary court intervention. Most Texas district and county courts require pretrial mediation for a variety of cases in order to help the parties resolve their problems while avoiding extensive court procedures and expenses

Mediation is a process in which the parties, under the guidance of a Mediator, agree upon a legally binding settlement the disputes in issue without a trial. Meditation can take many forms and the process may produce creative solutions without the direct rulings of the court. Courts usually encourage the opposing lawyers to first mediate a dispute and if no progress is made then continue the normal judicial process.

The Mediator that helps bring both sides to an agreement usually is a lawyer, ex-judge, or other specialist who has experience or expert training in the specific areas related to the dispute. A Mediator fees may range anywhere from $160-$500 dollars an hour depending on the case and the complexity of the issues in dispute. Mediators attempt to work with each side to find a reasonable middle ground to which a fair agreement can be structured.

An experienced lawyer is a valuable tool to advance favorable terms of any agreement during a mediation. During a mediation a Mediator will likely place the parties into separate “Caucus” areas, splitting the parties into different rooms to negotiate individually with each party to understand the positions and interests. Once the Mediator has talked to each party he will attempt to discover a common grounds that will fairly or smoothly serve both parties’ interests. If an agreement is reached that neither side is overly happy about, it is often likely that a reasonable compromise has been reached.

The important point of a mediation is to express your concerns and attempt to reach a compromise that is mutually acceptable, smart and fair to both sides. Many courts support this type of dispute resolution because it frees up the courts dockets and allow the parties to consider compromise first without involving the courts. Mediation maybe a cost saver, as the dollars you spend on an attorney for trial can be reduced significantly if a compromise is reached.

Make sure you have an attorney who is experienced in the Mediation process and knows how to craft a smart, fair deal which will result in significant cost savings.

By Nacol Law Firm P.C. | Mediation
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Visitation with your children for the 2014 Holidays – Texas Standard Visitation Guidelines

Now is the time to start working on your Holiday 2014 Schedule for visitation with your children during this wonderful time of year! We would suggest that you review your individual order to see if you have specific provisions concerning visitation.  Because many families have specific situations that occur during this special time, this visitation time is the most modified area in the Standard Possession Order. The Holiday schedule will always override the Thursday or Weekend schedules.

Here is a reminder of the current Texas Family Law Code’s Standard Possession Order for the Holidays.

  • 153.314. Holiday Possession Unaffected by Distance Parents Reside Apart.
    The following provisions govern possession of the child for certain specific holidays and supersede conflicting weekend or Thursday periods of possession without regard to the distance the parents reside apart. The possessory conservator and the managing conservator shall have rights of possession of the child as follows:

Texas Family Law Code’s Standard Visitation Guidelines for Christmas Break:
(1) the possessory conservator shall have possession of the child in even-numbered years beginning at 6 p.m. on the day the child is dismissed from school for the Christmas school vacation and ending at noon on December 28, and the managing conservator shall have possession for the same period in odd-numbered years;
(2) the possessory conservator shall have possession of the child in odd-numbered years beginning at noon on December 28 and ending at 6 p.m. on the day before school resumes after that vacation, and the managing conservator shall have possession for the same period in even-numbered years;

Texas Family Law Code’s Standard Visitation Guidelines for Thanksgiving:
(3) the possessory conservator shall have possession of the child in odd-numbered years, beginning at 6 p.m. on the day the child is dismissed from school before Thanksgiving and ending at 6 p.m. on the following Sunday, and the managing conservator shall have possession for the same period in even-numbered years;

Texas Family Law Code’s Standard Visitation Guidelines for Child’s Birthday:
(4) the parent not otherwise entitled under this standard order to present possession of a child on the child’s birthday shall have possession of the child beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m. on that day, provided that the parent picks up the child from the residence of the conservator entitled to possession and returns the child to that same place;

Texas Family Law Code’s Standard Visitation Guidelines for Father’s Day:
(5) if a conservator, the father shall have possession of the child beginning at 6 p.m. on the Friday preceding Father’s Day and ending on Father’s Day at 6 p.m., provided that, if he is not otherwise entitled under this standard order to present possession of the child, he picks up the child from the residence of the conservator entitled to possession and returns the child to that same place;

Texas Family Law Code’s Standard Visitation Guidelines for Mother’s Day:
(6) if a conservator, the mother shall have possession of the child beginning at 6 p.m. on the Friday preceding Mother’s Day and ending on Mother’s Day at 6 p.m., provided that, if she is not otherwise entitled under this standard order to present possession of the child, she picks up the child from the residence of the conservator entitled to possession and returns the child to that same place.

Texas child visitation orders may differ from the norm to accommodate family situations so you should always check your decree first! If in doubt about your holiday visitation time, contact a family law attorney who can help you to make sure nothing happens to affect this special season with your children. ‘Tis the Season To Be Jolly’!

By Nacol Law Firm P.C. | Possession of Children
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Texas Prenuptial Agreements

In Texas, Prenuptial Agreements are becoming a very important tool for prospective spouses in the event of future marital problems.  With the rise in divorce rates and more boomer/senior remarriages, many people with assets are turning to a marital contract to sidestep a potentially difficult and very expense divorce.

A prenuptial agreement allows prospective spouses to, legally in advance, specifically define rights and obligations to each other and further allows spouses to decide their future marital property rights with relativity minimal judicial actions.  A prenuptial agreement, in Texas,  can cover any matter except:

  1. Violate public policy or a statute imposing criminal penalties

  2. Adversely affect a child’s right to support

  3. Defraud a creditor

Texas Family Code 4.003(a)(8), (b),4.106(a).

Among the permissible provisions that parties can list in a prenuptial agreement are the following:

  1. Rights and obligations of any interest, present or future, legal or equitable, vested or contingent, in real or personal property.

  2. Right to manage, control and dispose, by agreement, property upon separation of the married parties, dissolution of the marriage, death of either party, or other agreed event.

  3. Modify or eliminate spousal support.

  4. Specific matters related to prospective spouses, including personal rights and obligations that are not in violation of state laws.

  5. Choice of a state or country law that will govern the prenuptial agreement.

  6. Creation of a Will or Trust.

  7. Disposing of the Estate upon the death of one of the spouses. Also ownership rights and disposition of benefits from a life insurance policy upon the death.

  8. Waive one party’s right to occupy the family homestead after the other party dies.

By Nacol Law Firm P.C. | Texas Prenuptial Agreements
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Please contact father’s rights Dallas Attorney Mark Nacol, or father’s rights Dallas Attorney Julian Nacol with the Nacol Law Firm P.C., for legal insight to your rights as a father. Both attorney Mark Nacol, and attorney Julian Nacol , provide counsel in the area of family law including divorce, father’s rights, interstate jurisdiction, child support, child custody, visitation, paternity, parent alienation, modifications, property division, asset division and more. Attorney Mark A. Nacol is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Our attorneys at The Nacol Law Firm P.C. serve clients throughout Texas, including Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Grayson, Kaufman, Rockwall and Tarrant counties and the communities of Addison, Allen, Arlington, Carrollton, Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Grapevine, Highland Park, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano, Prosper, Richardson, Rowlett and University Park, Murphy,Wylie, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Irving, along with surrounding DFW areas.

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