Appellate Lawyers Todd Smith of Austin and Jody Sanders of Fort Worth interviewed O’Neil Wysocki Senior Shareholder Michelle O’Neil about her family law appellate practice for their Texas Appellate Law Podcast. Check out the full interview here: Appellate Review in Family Law Cases with Michelle O’Neil  …

The United States Supreme Court has moved a giant leap forward in LGBTQ+ rights with the latest opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia. To say this is a HUGE deal is an understatement. In 2015, when the Court solidified same-sex marriage, that right only applied to a smaller subset of people who wanted to marry a person of the same sex. This opinion, however, applied to a much more broad group because pretty much…

Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process that has become a requirement in most family law cases. A mediator is a neutral third-party who helps facilitate the settlement negotiations between the parties. Generally, one party and that party’s attorney stay in one room; the other party and that party’s attorney stay in another room; and the mediator goes between the rooms. The parties can conclude the mediation with a Mediated Settlement Agreement (“MSA”). This is…

In Texas, if your child is under the age of three, there is no presumed possession schedule that is in the child’s best interest. The standard possession order set forth in the Texas Family Code that is often discussed is the presumed possession schedule once a child is three-years-old or older. What does that mean for you as the parent? If the parents agree on the possession schedule, the Court will most likely approve and adopt…