Creating a Will is extremely important for individuals that have a sizable estate in the Dallas and DFW metroplex. Time and time again, individuals refuse to properly prepare for death and do not see the proper preparation of a legal and valid will as a necessity. 

When you refuse to prepare a Will, then your entire estate will pass through the intestate process. Intestate rules apply if: (1) there is no will, (2) the will does not completely dispose of the entire estate, or (3) there is a pretermitted child/adopted child born after the will’s execution.

In certain situations, a child born outside of a marriage may still claim inheritance rights per the rules of Intestate succession. Nonmarital children may establish inheritance rights from the alleged father if the presumption of paternity is proven in court. Paternity is presumed if one of the following elements are met per Tex. Fam. Code § 160.204:

1. The child was born during (or within 300 days after) the marriage of the man and the child’s mother; 
2. During the first two years of the child’s life, the man continuously resided in the same household as the child and represented to others that the child was his; or 
3. The parties married after the Child’s birth and the man voluntarily asserted his paternity of the child in one of the following ways:

   a) The assertion of paternity is in a record filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics;
   b) The man was voluntarily named as the Child’s father on the birth certificate; or
   c) The man promised in a record to support the child as his own.

   In many cases a child that was born out of wedlock may still inherit from the father’s estate if the above mentioned actions can be proved. Depending on the estate, this ability to prove the presumption of paternity can have a great impact on the allocation of the estate’s assets.

   Paternity may be rebutted, even if the presumption is proved by a preponderance of evidence, by a DNA test. DNA testing is the only option to rebut the presumption of paternity. Depending on the estate and the desires of all parties involved, a Judge may order that the body be dug up for a DNA sample of the deceased. This is rare, but the Court does have the authority.

   It is important to remember that the Statute of Limitations to establish inheritance rights or the presumption of paternity begins at the date in which the father died. The statute of limitations is four years, which means any potential claim must be brought within four years of the individual’s death.

   If you are a nonmarital child or born out of wedlock in the DFW area, you may still inherit as a matter of law. A will created prior to the birth of a nonmarital child will not cut off the child from his or her rightful inheritance. For situations like this, please contact Nacol Law Firm to acquire an experienced attorney to navigate through intestacy laws and probate.

   Julian Nacol
   Dallas Probate Attorney
   Nacol Law Firm P.C. 
   tel: (972) 690-3333

A divorce involving a high conflict personality can be more challenging than other divorces, because of the person’s inability to compromise or ever see the middle ground. People like this are called “High Conflict People” (HCP’s), and the divorce courts are full of them.

Are you glad you are not married to one of these people or are you? HCP’s seem very caring and sincere and it may take months or years before a legal professional can identify this personality disorder.  HCPs may cause enormous emotional pain and excessive financial costs to their spouse and children before this disorder is brought to light.

Bill Eddy, legal specialist of the High Conflict Institute, has given a list of

The High Conflict Personality Pattern of HCP Personalities

1. Rigid and uncompromising, repeating failed strategies
2. Unable to heal or accept a loss
3. Negative emotions dominate their thinking
4. Won’t  reflect on their own behavior
5. Can’t empathize with others
6. Preoccupied with blaming others
7. Won’t accept any responsibility for problems or solutions

HCP’s stay unproductively connected to people through conflict and will continue to create conflict to maintain any sort of relationship, good or bad.  Since HCP’s undermine all relationships, they constantly repeat their same patterns and usually end up divorcing repeated times.  20-30% of all couples getting divorces have at least one HCP spouse.

According to the High Conflict Institute, HCPS are driven by four primary fees:

1. Fear of being ignored
2. Fear of being belittled or publicity exposure
3. Fear of being abandoned
4. Fear of being dominated, includes fear of losing control over you, the other spouse, their money/assets, or themselves

What can the spouse of an HCP do to help bring the family conflict or divorce to completion?

1. Tell your attorney what your bottom line is and stay with your decision.
2. Maximize any leverage you have and stay on the course.
3. Choose your battles carefully.
4. Everything must be in writing.
5. Work on keeping total & consistent emotional detachment from the HCP.

Just remember the HCP feels that since you are no longer together, and since you know too much about him/her, you must be discredited so that no one will think that they are the problem!

You will need to learn some practical skills on communication and response to your HCP and also when & how to let your attorney deal with this situation, how to enforce your guidelines, and hopefully, your thoughtful and reserved conduct will result in the best possible outcome.

Nacol Law Firm P.C.
Dallas Divorce Attorneys

In Texas, adultery or infidelity may play a significant role in how a divorce unfolds, impacting asset division in a divorce and even custody issues to a certain extent. Here’s how adultery generally affects the divorce process in Texas:

1. Grounds for Divorce:

• No-Fault Divorce: Texas allows for “no-fault” divorces, where neither spouse has to blame the other for the breakdown of the marriage. Commonly, the reason cited is “insupportability,” which means that the marriage has become insupportable due to discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate ends of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.
• Fault-Based Divorce: Adultery is also one of the grounds for a fault-based divorce in Texas. If one spouse can prove the other’s infidelity, it can influence the divorce proceedings, particularly in financial settlements and custody decisions. The Court of Appeals has given the following definition of Adultery: “the voluntary sexual intercourse of a married person with one not the spouse.” In re S.A.A., 279 S.W.3d 853, 856 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2009, no pet.)

2. Impact on Division of Assets:

• In Texas, the court divides marital property based on what is “just and right.” While this typically starts with the presumption of a 50/50 split, proven adultery can lead the court to award a more favorable division to the non-adulterous spouse. This is because the court may consider the circumstances and factors under which the property was acquired and the behavior of the parties during the marriage. Such factors include: Such factors include (1) the nature of the marital property, (2) the relative earning capacity and business opportunities of the parties, (3) the parties’ relative financial condition and obligations, (4) the parties’ education, (5) the size of separate estates, (6) the age, (7) health, and (8) physical conditions of the parties, (9) fault in breaking up the marriage, (10) the benefit the innocent spouse would have received had the marriage continued, and (11) the probable need for future support. Murff v. Murff, 615 S.W.2d 696, 698 (Tex. 1981).

3. Impact on Child Custody and Visitation:

• While adultery by itself does not necessarily impact custody arrangements, the circumstances surrounding the adultery might. For instance, if adulterous behavior also involved other conduct that could be deemed harmful to the children it could influence the court’s decisions regarding custody and visitation rights. More common repercussions for Adultery or Infidelity in a divorce are what the Court’s call a  “morality clause”. This provision usually prohibits one parent from having a romantic third-party guest stay in the house while the children are present from 8:00 pm to 9:00 am the next day.

4. Proving Adultery:

• Proving adultery in a divorce case requires evidence that convinces the court of the likelihood that infidelity occurred. Direct evidence is not necessarily required; circumstantial evidence that suggests the likelihood of both opportunity and inclination to commit adultery might suffice. The burden of proof is the preponderance of the evidence, thus just a little more than 50%. It should be known that actions of adultery and infidelity are still probably even after separation and during the divorce litigation. 

Adultery and Infidelity are not as damaging in the modern era, though it is completely fact intensive and dependent on the Judge in your case. Some Judges take Adultery in a Texas Divorce more seriously than others. It is a liability to mitigate if it has occurred. 

Julian Nacol
Nacol Law Firm P.C.
Dallas Divorce Attorney
(972) 690-3333