After a divorce case, a judge will often issue court orders regarding family law matters such as child support, child custody, visitation, and alimony. But are such laws permanent, or can they be modified? Circumstances can change, where a person is no longer able to comply with court orders. What happens then? Fortunately, if circumstances such as a change in location, income, or another aspect of your life change, Texas laws allow you to obtain modifications to your previous orders.
The Modification Process
For a divorce order to be modified, you and your attorney will have to prove to a Texas family court that your situation has changed. For instance, say a child is under your custody, and your ex has visitation rights. If you have a valid reason, such as relocation to another town for a job, you can convince the court that the relocation calls for a modification. Or, if you have lost your job, then you can request to have your alimony or child support order modified. In Texas, child support modification is only possible if your situation applies to one or more of the following:
- A significant change in circumstances has happened.
- The order was either established, or last modified not less than three years ago.
- The amount differs by 20% or $100 in comparison with the amount that the court would have awarded you in accordance with child support guidelines.
How Can An Attorney Help
You should hire an attorney to have your court orders modified instead of trying to handle the situation yourself. For starters, after analyzing your case, the lawyer can advise you on whether your change in circumstances is significant enough to warrant a modification. The next step is filing a petition to modify the previous order. This is something that a lawyer can also help you with and ensure you do not make mistakes. Not all modification cases are always successful. And when you do not have experience in matters of family law, trying to handle the situation on your own reduces the chances of a better outcome. Instead, work with Querishi & Salejee PLLC. We have a result-oriented team that can help you with matters or modifications. Give us a call today.