Married after child born. Is the child a ‘child of marriage’ or not.
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Married after child born. Is the child a ‘child of marriage’ or not.
Our daughter was born in 2006. We didn’t get married until 2008. The free online divorce papers refer to ‘child of marriage’ to determine which set of paperwork to complete. Is our daughter a ‘child of marriage’?
Asked on July 6, 2009 under Family Law, Texas
Answers:
Roy L. Reeves / Reeves Law Firm, P.C.
Answered 15 years ago | Contributor
I think you are looking to find information to complete a pro se divorce with children? Is that correct? First, I implore you to seek counsel - more on that below.
The operative question is not when was the child born, but who are the parents? A child is either: Born of the marriage (ie: he is daddy, we were married at the time), born during the marriage but not of the marriage (ie: we were married but he is not the daddy); born prior to the marriage (ie: he is the daddy we are just setting the record straight - though most people and attorneys just plead "of the marriage" in this context); or there are no children born or adopted during the marriage (born before we married and he is not daddy).
Now, back to why you should consider an attorney: anytime you and your spouse can agree to enough stuff to finish a pro se divorce, you could hire one lawyer and get an uncontested divorce for only a little more money and have it done by a professional. By way of explanation, in Collin County, the filing fee is $259 per case, then you have to find the forms (generally people buy them from a service, though a few copy a friends docs or go to the library), forms sets cost about $250-300. Assuming you are on the low end, you will incur $500 in cost, then if you want certified decrees, $5 per page (decree with child support and custody provisions can run 35 - 45 pages ($200 each copy). Finally, after paying this $900 in fees to the court, you have to figure out what to do, how to do it, how to file, schedule, and prove it up. Then if there are mistakes, it gets really expensive to fix later. On the other hand, a skilled attorney can turn a paralegal loose to draft the docs, pay the filing fees $259, secure certified copies in for $5 each decree, not per page - one of the benefits of being an officer of the court, plus in Collin County, uncontested divorces with attorneys go first, so you save time at the courthouse and it is done right.
You can find more information on my website at:
www.planoattorney.net
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.