Timberwood Park, TX Child Custody Attorney

Trusted Child Custody Attorney Protecting Parents' Rights in Bexar County, Texas

When parents separate, a Texas judge may need to decide who makes major decisions for your child. Custody, known as conservatorship in Texas, also covers where your child lives and how much time each parent receives. Those orders can stay in place for years. Attorney Brandon Wong brings more than 15 years of legal experience to these cases. Brandon Wong & Associates can help you present evidence to the court showing which arrangement serves your child's best interests.

How Bexar County Judges Evaluate Your Child's Best Interest

In every Texas custody case, the child's best interest is the primary consideration. When deciding whether parents can share decision-making rights, a judge may consider:

• The child's needs: Whether each parent can meet the child's physical, mental, and emotional needs
• Parental responsibilities: Whether each parent can put the child's well-being first
• Past involvement: How involved each parent has been in raising the child
• Distance between homes: How far apart the parents live and how that may affect the child

Courts look at your daily involvement. Records of school meetings, medical appointments, and other parenting responsibilities can help show the court your role in your child's life.

Sole Managing Conservatorship and Possessory Conservatorship in TX

Shared decision-making is not right for every family. Texas courts cannot give both parents joint decision-making authority when there is credible evidence of a history of child neglect or physical or sexual abuse involving a parent, spouse, or child. In these cases, one parent can receive the right to make major decisions alone.

The other parent is often named a possessory conservator. A possessory conservator generally has scheduled time with the child but does not share the same decision-making authority. The court can add restrictions, such as supervised visits, when needed to protect the child.

Equal treatment of parents is required by law. Texas courts cannot consider a parent's sex or marital status when deciding conservatorship. At Brandon Wong & Associates, we have experience representing fathers' rights and protecting their relationships with their children in custody cases.

Religion, Grandparents, and Other Family Concerns in a Custody Case

Disagreements over faith can surface during custody cases. Questions about child custody and religion often involve religious education, worship attendance, and holiday observance. We can help you address these issues in a parenting plan to protect your rights and reduce future conflicts.

Grandparents' rights in Texas are limited. To request court-ordered access, a grandparent must prove that denying access would significantly impair the child's physical health or emotional well-being. The grandparent's own child, who is the child's parent, must also meet a specific condition. We can review your family's circumstances and help you take the right legal steps to maintain a relationship with your grandchild.

Long-Distance Schedules and Moving With Your Child

When parents live more than 100 miles apart, Texas allows long-distance visitation with longer visits during school breaks and summer. Schedules can also account for travel costs and the child's needs.

Custody orders may limit where a child can live. Moving outside the Timberwood Park, Bexar County area usually requires court approval, even if both parents agree. We can help with parental relocation requests and explain how a move may affect your child's education and relationship with the other parent.

Changing or Enforcing an Existing Custody Order

A court may approve a custody modification if circumstances have changed significantly and the change is in the child's best interest. A change may also be allowed if the parent who decides where the child lives has given up primary care for at least six months.

If you request a change within one year of the last order, you usually need a sworn statement explaining why. Reasons may include danger to the child, the parent who decides where the child lives agreeing, or that parent giving up primary care for six months.

If the other parent denies your court-ordered visits, you can request visitation enforcement. The judge will often award makeup time and attorney fees, although exceptions apply. The other parent may also face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine for each violation.

The custody arrangement can also affect child support, since it often determines which parent pays support and which parent receives it.

Contact Our Timberwood Park, Texas Child Custody Attorney

Brandon Wong & Associates has earned more than 225 five-star reviews across the web from parents who needed help protecting their relationship with their children. Attorney Brandon Wong can review your current situation, gather evidence of your parenting role, and pursue a custody arrangement that serves your child. Contact our Timberwood Park child custody attorney at 210-201-3832 to schedule a consultation.