When Experience, Skill And Results Matter To You

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Professionals at Prater Ridley & Llamas - Attorneys at Law

When Experience, Skill And Results Matter To You

Lawyers Passionate About Resolving Child Custody Matters

In Texas, child custody arrangements are driven by fact-specific information. Before determining a custody arrangement, the family law courts are interested in understanding who has been the primary caretaker for the children, the appropriateness of the behavior of the primary caretaker and numerous other facts and circumstances that could affect the child’s well-being.

At Prater, Ridley & Llamas - Attorneys at Law in Temple, Texas, we strive for custody arrangements with the two-fold purpose of protecting our clients’ parental rights and the best interests of their children. We strongly advocate for custody arrangements that make sense and we use our more than 110 years of combined experience to do it.

Are you a member of the U.S. military? Our lawyers have extensive experience helping service members in all branches of the military with child custody issues related to divorce, separations, deployments and changes in station.

Child Custody Arrangements In Texas

Under Texas family law, custody of a child is referred to as a “conservatorship,” opting to call child’s parents “conservators” instead of “custodians.” There are two main types of conservatorships:”

  • Joint managing conservatorship (JMC) or joint custody – Parents share rights and responsibility of the child or children, with one parent being given the right to make certain decisions as per the child’s best interests.
  • Sole managing conservatorship (SMC) or sole custody – One parent is granted the legal right to make decisions regarding the child or children’s welfare, residence and other childcare specifics. This parent also is the recipient of child support payments.

Looking Out For The Child’s Best Interests

To help ensure that our family lawyers have all the information that is relevant to our clients’ cases, we often hire investigators, talk with witnesses and review social media information. We instruct our clients to gather information to ensure we have what we need to resolve a child custody matter related to any family law matter.

Likewise, we often ask our clients to prepare written statements listing any actions or events they think could be significant to their cases. Being honest about everything — including health problems, arrests, involvement with mental health care professionals or domestic violence — can help ensure there are no surprises down the road.

Talk To A Skilled, Passionate Attorney Today

Attorney Carol E. Prater is a board certified family lawyer in the state of Texas, and she only handles family law matters. She is aggressive in her advocacy and is recognized in the legal community for her resourcefulness and commitment to her clients’ well-being.

If you need help with a child custody matter after a divorce or need help modifying an existing custody agreement, contact our office in Temple, Texas, to schedule a consultation. Call 254-773-9081 or send us an email to get started.