July 4th, 1776. The Declaration of Independence. The Revolutionary War. What was it all about? In a word: Freedom. Freedom from Great Britain and Freedom from laws that unreasonably interfere with our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. So, what does that have to do with Divorce and Custody law? This: The freedoms that we enjoy in America, even in the Family Law arena are not enjoyed by everyone around the world. Even those in places that we consider similar to us. For e

Guns are a hot topic these days. Some people love them. Some people hate them. Not too many people have no opinion on them. If you own guns or ammunition, and you are headed for a Texas divorce, here are 7 Things you need to know. Number 1. You can have big problems, even if you don’t do “anything wrong.” Most people assume that if they are legally allowed to own or possess a gun before their divorce, they are allowed to possess one during their divorce. This is often not

When was the last time that you got something truly valuable for free? I’m not talking about the pair of ugly socks that you get when you jump on trampolines – those aren’t free. I’m talking about something of value that could change the course of your life and your child’s life. That’s why we charge for our consultations. That’s the value that we seek to provide. In all of the consults that we do, we try to accomplish the following: 1. Find out the Facts of your situation 2.

I love motorcycles. I fell in love when I was 7 years old, and the love has never died. I’ve come close a couple times, but it hasn’t. Recently, I got the chance to go to Las Vegas to rent a GS 1200 BMW motorcycle. Riding one is like riding a highly-charged sports car, but with only two wheels. Think wheelies and incredibly quick acceleration and the smoothest ride you’ve ever had. When I was about to leave the rental facility, a young man that knew much more about that bike

In Texas, there are two ways to get married, and two ways to get unmarried. You can be ceremonially married or common law married. To get unmarried – regardless of how you got married – you need a divorce or death. There is no such thing as a common law divorce. There are circumstances that would seem to warrant a finding of common law divorce, but they don’t. For example, if two married persons cease living together, haven’t seen each other in a couple of decades, haven’t sp

Going through a divorce is stressful. Sometimes, it’s very stressful. One of the stresses is the uncertainty of how much of your money you will end up with at the end of the divorce. When thinking about that issue, many people worry that their spouse may have hidden money. The thought being, “If my spouse has hidden $100,000.00 and we finish the divorce without me knowing about it, I won’t get any of that $100,000.00 and he or she will laugh all the way to the bank.” These da

Remember when you were a little kid and people would ask you what you wanted to be in life? At age 2, my answer was, "Garbage Man," because riding on those trucks and running around carrying those cans looked really fun. Do you know what you don't want to be? A Family Law client. Unfortunately, I cannot give you the complete recipe for how to avoid that, but one thing I can tell you is this: Ignoring things like Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries, etc. is a way to get

This month, Beal Law Firm is proud to have been named to the Tops in Tarrant list, produced annually by Society Life magazine. "The people have spoken," says Society Life. The businesses listed are the "final result of a community-based website survey requesting votes for the top local leaders in 34 carefully selected industries." Thank you to all that voted and to Society Life for the recognition. #SouthlakeDivorce #Divorce #CollaborativeLawyer #FortWorthDivorce #MilitaryDiv

This week, I was interviewed by Morning Dose TV to get my opinions on January being "Divorce Month." I was very happy that as a part of the interview, I was able to get in something that I have been telling people for decades -- Divorce does not solve all of your problems; it trades one set of problems for another set of problems. #SouthlakeDivorce #DallasDivorceLawyer #FortWorthDivorce #Divorce #CollaborativeDivorce #MilitaryDivorce #Custody #EricBeal #BealLawFirm #CollinCou

One of the main purposes of a divorce is to divide the community property of the couple getting divorced. To accomplish that division, the parties typically come up with a list or inventory of their assets, and that list gets put into the divorce decree, along with a designation of who is going to own the property moving forward. After the divorce, there won’t be any more community property – everything will be owned as the separate property of one of the parties, or in rare

Can a 12-year-old decide where he or she wants to live? This area of Texas Family Law is often misunderstood. Many non-lawyers, and possibly even some lawyers, think that once a child turns 12, he or she gets to decide who will be the “primary parent.” That is simply not true. Under Texas custody law, one parent or the other usually has the “exclusive right to determine the primary residence of the child” – to most people that means where the child lives. Once an custody orde

Writing a blog on a regular basis is easier if you have a goal or goals in mind. This year, my goals are 1) to correct myths and misunderstandings about various aspects of the law, particularly family law, 2) talk about “gray” areas that exist in Texas Family Law, and 3) provide as much education as possible about divorce and custody law in Texas. The first myth that comes to mind is one that I dealt with just this week – but hear about all of the time. A client came to me an

What is Collaborative Divorce? Collaborative Divorce is an alternative to traditional divorce. In a traditional, litigated divorce the parties typically move through several stages until the case is either settled or makes it to trial. The stages are: ​ 1. Negotiation between the parties;​ 2. Negotiation between the attorneys; 3. Mediation; 4. Post-mediation negotiation; and 5. Trial.​ Throughout all of these stages, the parties can engage in formal discovery and ask the cour