IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS

Second Emergency Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster

If you are like many Americans, using social media may be something you do multiple times every day, but if you are going through a divorce, you might be wise to refrain from visiting and posting on your favorite sites. Nowadays, you need to consider the fact that virtually anything you do publicly and online can come back to haunt you, and when you are in the middle of the divorce, the stakes are especially high.

Just how can your use of social media complicate your divorce?

It can imply infidelity

The default position of courts in Texas is that both parents should be involved in their child’s life to the greatest extent possible. Often, this translates to joint custody, legally called joint conservatorship in Texas.

Does that mean you are basically restricted to living out the next X years in the city where you live? For example, could you accept job offers several hours away or move across the country for a few years to take care of an ailing parent?

Geographic restrictions

If you are a married Texas resident contemplating divorce, both you and your spouse, regardless of your issues and disagreements, no doubt dread the prospect of having to go through a lengthy, costly and possibly ugly court battle. You will be pleased and relieved to know that this is not necessary, and you have other divorce options open to you. Mediation is one of them.

As a matter of fact, most Texas courts will require you and your spouse to attempt mediation, especially if you have children, before you can go to court and obtain your divorce. While mediation does not work for all divorcing couples, it entails a much more amicable approach to divorce and costs substantially less than a litigated divorce. The American Bar Association says that a mediated divorce typically costs 40-60 percent less than a traditional divorce.

The mediation process