Parental Alienation -- the Time to Act is Now

There are few things as pervasive and frustrating in family court as parental alienation, the actions of one (or both) parents to try to harm the other parent's relationship with the child. In bad cases, it is simply awful for the other parent and of course for the child.

Strictly speaking, it is a form of child abuse.

Yet many alienated parents do nothing for too long, allowing the alienator to continue to work on the child, disparage the other parent, and ingrain the child in false and damaging beliefs. In time this becomes the child's "normal," and the child, fearful of the alienator's reactions, goes along with it and may even start to believe it.

So the time to act is now, before it's too late to alter the course of your child's life. If you are an active parent and the other parent in your child's life is provably engaging in alienation, call me and let's figure out a game plan to end it and keep your child in your life.

It is unclear whether the leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the Dobbs case will become the majority ruling of the Court. We'll just have to wait and see.

In breaking down Justice Alito's draft opinion, it is important to note that not only does he strike down Roe v. Wade, but all of its intellectual underpinnings found in prior precedents of the Court that have fundamental effects for many Americans. He expressly rejects the logic of many watershed cases including Loving v. Virginia (which struck down laws against interracial marriage), Lawrence v. Texas (striking down sodomy laws used to persecute non-heterosexual persons), and Obergefell v. Hodges (striking down laws against same-sex marriage). In Alito's opinion, if a right is not found in the Constitution (or its Amendments), then it is a matter left to the States.

Which is of course, what gave rise to Loving, Lawrence, and Obergefell in the first place.

Each of these prior rulings were based on the Court's establishment of fundamental rights to privacy and to make decisions for ourselves as Americans. This is the cascading potential effect of the Dobbs decision; in the long run, it will likely not just be about abortion, but also about all of the other cases establishing federal rights not found in the Constitution.

If Dobbs becomes the law of the land, then these issues would likely be addressed by state legislation once again and challenged through the federal judiciary. In Texas, our state legislature and governor's mansion are controlled by Republicans who are aggressively trying to roll back the clock on fundamental rights for a large number of Americans. It seems likely that many of our fellow Texans are likely to lose many of their protections they have increasingly enjoyed (with the rest of us) for the past 50+ years.

If you or a loved one need assistance with a family law matter and are concerned about your rights as a spouse or parent, I invite you to contact me at 512-551-9905.

From a client ...

"Hello sir,

It was pleasure to work with you and your team. I am always thankful for your effort on this case. You worked tirelessly to ensure the best possible outcome on my behalf and assist me with my financial circumstances. As a foreign citizen, it was hard for me to understand some laws and order but you were always there to help me out. I am hopeful that your other clients will also be satisfied with your work."

Enforcement of Court Orders

Any litigating attorney -- one that goes to court for his or her clients -- has the main job to obtain, modify, and enforce court orders. Often, getting the court order is difficult. But once that's done, it is natural for the prevailing party to think, "it's all resolved now." If only that were always true.

Unfortunately, human nature being what it is (and conflict being a pervasive part of family law cases), many clients find themselves in need of the court's assistance in enforcing the orders they've previously obtained. Maybe the other party won't let you see your child, or won't pay child support, or won't sign legal documents to transfer property after the divorce is over. What then?

It's frustrating but necessary at that point to get a lawyer that isn't afraid to hold your opposing party's feet to the fire. Penalties for not following final court orders can include attorney's fees, modification of the final orders, and even jail time for the offending party.

Yes, disobeying court orders is taken seriously by the courts. But it requires you to have the fortitude to take the other party back to court and hold them accountable. You can't get despondent; you can't give up on "the system." You simply have to act to protect the court order that you previously worked so hard to get.

I'm available to help in these situations, and will work to aggressively enforce your court orders. I invite you to call if you or a loved one are dealing with a disobedient party.

I'm hiring. I'm looking for a family attorney who wants a long-term professional home. I am looking for someone with a high ceiling — someone with ambition and character and heart, and someone who wants to build something with me.

If you know someone that may be a fit, or have questions, please PM me.

Life is largely about dealing with other people. This is especially true in family court - an entire legal subsystem devoted to resolving difficult personal problems that people can't work out for themselves.

Smart litigants figure out a few things:

1. You can't change other people.
2. Other people rarely change themselves, and when they do it's usually only after great difficulty and major life changes
3. The underlying personal dispute is the maddening, ridiculous, and expensive part of a family law case.
4. The issues that the court can actually resolve - about the welfare of children and the division of property - are things that reasonable people should be able to figure out.
5. ... and this is the hard one ... it only takes one crazy person in the case to make it ten times harder on everyone else.

So if you're in a family case - make sure you're not the crazy one. Make sure you have an attorney that will listen to you AND give you independent advice. Focus on the things you can address - your own behavior. And keep your kids' needs ahead of your own, understanding that it's not your child's fault that you made a baby with the other parent, and that the child needs the other parent.

Stop banging your head against the wall

trying to get your ex to be a better spouse, a better parent, or heck just a better person. Let it go and accept that they are who they are. Adjust your expectations to meet reality, not your own hopes, anger, or fears.

Call me if you need help. A good lawyer will help you assess that reality, set reasonable expectations, and guide you to resolution by settlement or trial to the court.