Our Family Wizard – Taking the Stress Out of Communication and Planning

When a relationship involving children ends, it is often difficult (and sometimes impossible) to keep the lines of communication open. You said soccer practice was at 3:00, he thought you said 4:30. You said you were picking the kids up Friday night, she forgot and took them to the movies instead.

OurFamilyWizard.Com is designed to reduce, if not eliminate, the stress that often arises due to breakdowns in communication between parents who live in separate households.

For a small fee, parents can keep an online calendar (that the other parent can access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) of extracurricular activities, appointments, school information, expenses, medical information, visitation periods, etc.

This site is a great tool that makes co-parenting easier and a lot less stressful. For more information, log onto http://www.ourfamilywizard.com/

OFW News : 07/01/2008 – “One of the greatest benefits to using the OurFamilyWizard website is the ability to help control the amount of "he said/she said". The OurFamilyWizard website allows parents to keep very accurate records of what was said and when it was said. In most cases, especially high conflict cases, the chronology of events is just as important as the events themselves.”

Texas Court Blocks Same Sex Divorce

(Jan. 2009) A Dallas man who married his longtime partner in Massachusetts asked a Texas court to grant him a divorce. The Court refused to hear the case. While same-sex marriage is not recognized in Texas, it is legal in several other states.

The couple married in Massachusetts in 2006 and have resided in Dallas ever since. Attorney General Greg Abbott said that since Texas law prohibits same-sex marriages and civil unions, the men could not be divorced in Texas since their union is not recognized to exist in Texas.

Peter Schulte, who represents the unnamed plaintiff, said he plans to argue that the U.S. Constitution dictates that states recognize contracts from other states. According to Schulte, the couple could be legally divorced in Massachusetts but only after establishing residency. Schulte maintains that even though his client was married out of state, he shouldn't be treated any different than anyone else seeking a divorce.

While this case is a first for Texas, it is not the first nationwide. A gay couple seeing a divorce in Rhode Island were denied for the same reason as Schulte’s client. Another gay couple seeking a divorce in Iowa were successful in their dissolution.

HBA Sponsors Free Legal Clinics for Veterans: February 28, 2009

As part of its Veterans' Legal Initiative, the Houston Bar Association will hold two free legal advice clinics for veterans on Saturday, February 28, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. One clinic will be held at VFW Post 8790 at 1560 Foley Street (77055) and another at American Legion Post 560 at 3720 Alba Road (77018).

If you know a veteran or the spouse of a deceased veteran who could benefit from the legal clinics, please encourage them to attend one of the locations. More than 20 attorneys, as well as support staff, have volunteered to staff each clinic. Each site will have family law, probate, and disability specialists.

For more information, visit the HBA Web site, http://www.hba.org/.

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”- Benjamin Franklin

For some, tax season has come and gone. For many others, it’s only just begun. Many are anxiously anticipating refunds, while others are dreading the April 15th deadline.

This time of year, I often receive phone calls regarding filing status and exemptions. While I do not offer tax advice, I strongly encourage clients to consult with a CPA or tax attorney regarding what would be best for them.

Additionally, the IRS has published a guide for Divorced or Separated Individuals. This useful guide explains tax rules that apply if you are divorced or separated, including, selecting your filing status, deciding which exemptions to claim, alimony, child support, property settlements, and deducting the costs of divorce.

Though published for use in preparing 2007 returns, this guide will offer valuable, time saving (and hopefully money-saving) information that will assist you with your 2008 returns as well.

FREE LEGAL CLINIC

FREE LEGAL CLINIC
Sponsored by Fort Bend Lawyers CARE*

WHEN: January 31, 2009
8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: Sugar Land Community Center
The Red Room
226 Matlage Way, Sugar Land, TX 77478

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? All low-income Fort Bend County Residents seeking civil legal advice

Not sure if you qualify? Call 281-239-0015 for a pre-screening

BEWARE! *72 Collect Call Scam

Earlier this evening, I received a collect call from an inmate in the Harris County Jail. Not knowing anyone who could possibly be calling me from jail, I hung up. A few moments later, they called back. Thinking that it was possibly a friend or relative, I answered and accepted the call. The caller identified himself as a Houston Police Officer and stated that an individual (whom I do not know) had been arrested and had given him my phone number. I told him that I did not know this individual. The “officer” then offered to give me a telephone number to call to have the charge removed from my bill. I was already suspicious, so I hung up without getting the number.

As it turns out, this is a fairly common scam. The caller will either ask you to call someone for them or offer to give you a number to have the charge removed from your bill. Either way, it usually involves you dialing *72 either before or after the phone number. BEWARE! Dialing *72 will forward your phone line and cause all of your incoming calls to ring at another number. The original caller will then have his partner-in-crime on the other end accepting collect calls on your dime while telling your own legitimate callers that they have the wrong number. This scam could go on for several days before you even notice.

Be safe. NEVER accept collect calls from someone you don’t know, and if you happen to accept the call (as I did) NEVER offer to make a call for someone or dial any combination of numbers that they give you.

Texas Debit Card and Child Support: An Alternative to Paper Checks

The Texas debit card gives parents an alternative to receiving paper checks in the mail. The cards can be used anywhere VISA is accepted and parents do not need a bank account to get one. Any parent who receives child support through the Texas Child Support Disbursement Unit in San Antonio is eligible for the Texas Debit Card.

Benefits of the card include:
• 24/7 access to your money (even if you are away from home)
• No more waiting for checks to arrive or clear through your bank (payments are automatically loaded onto the card)
• No check cashing fees
• Safer and more convenient than using cash or checks
• Cash back options at several merchants

For more information, or to apply for a card, please visit https://www.eppicard.com/ or call 1-866-729-6159