It's the holiday season once again. That means road trips for long-awaited visits with family, school pageants at which hundreds of parents vie for the best spot to hold up their cameras or smartphones, and endless streams of wonderful food at the office and home. It also can be the time of crowded stores, impatient shoppers, and even retail violence as people shove and fight to get access to the hot item being advertised. If...
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Many children throughout Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park and San Marcos live in homes with parents who are divorced, separated or who have never been married. It is becoming increasingly common for children to be raised by two parents who live independently rather than for a child to be raised within a nuclear family unit. When kids live in separate homes, it raises many complicated questions. One issue, of course, is how parenting time is...
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Less than two months ago, the threat of the Ebola virus dominated our news. We were tracking the transport of recently diagnosed Americans from one hospital to another and frantically retracing their steps to determine where others may have come in contact with the often fatal virus. Questions were being raised as to how someone with Ebola was allowed into our country. Demands were made of our politicians to stop air travel from certain areas....
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Afamily law attorney knows that many complicated issues generally arise during the process of ending a marriage. One of the biggest questions many couples face is what to do about a shared family home. For most people, their home is the biggest asset they will divide. It is also an asset that many couples have a shared mortgage on, which complicates things further. Recently, the Wall Street Journal published a comprehensive article on some of...
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The process of getting a divorce can be very stressful, if you let it. The long-term impacts of the stress from your divorce can be damaging to your health and can make it more difficult for you to move on with your life. A family law lawyer can help make the process easier for you by negotiating a settlement on your behalf, advising you of your rights and representing you in court. However, you will...
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Last week, residents of Austin finally saw some closure to a horrific accident that took place in December 2013. Nicholas Wyzykowski pleaded guilty to two counts of intoxication manslaughter and five counts of intoxication assault after a night of drinking with friends resulted in him plowing into multiple cars while going around 100mph. When taken into custody, Wyzykowski was determined to be driving with a 0.27 BAC, which is more than three times the legal...
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There is little dispute over the notion that a man who is not married to the mother of his child should pay the child support that a court has ordered of him. The term "deadbeat dad" is one without many equals for eliciting a negative reaction in our society. However, a recent case out of Detroit, Mich., highlights the reality that in some instances, the sometimes aggressive laws that are designed to provide for a...
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How many of you have experienced going to your mailbox and finding a ticket issued courtesy of a red light camera? These sneaky machines have become popular in high-traffic areas across the country. Still, they are also controversial in both their legality and in the motivations of the elected officials who choose to install them. Houston discontinued their use of these cameras after they were voted down in a 2010 referendum. And now the Houston...
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After a death occurs, the will must be probated. This means that the executor of the estate must go to court, and the will must be validated. The estate must be valued, creditors paid off and taxes paid. The remaining value of the estate must be distributed according to the terms of the will. The process of probate should be relatively simple, but unfortunately things can quickly become complicated. A probate attorney knows that probate...
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Divorce is difficult for anyone, but those who are religious can face added challenges because their religious faith may discourage divorce or otherwise consider divorce to be against the faith. The reality is, divorce happens to around 50 percent of couples and no one of any religious faith should stay trapped in a bad marriage because of their beliefs. Many in the Catholic church are recognizing this reality, and there is a serious effort to...
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