Wednesday, April 13, 2011

When Divorced Parents Can’t Agree on Legal Guardians | Houston Wills Lawyer

As a Houston wills lawyer, I can’t stress enough how important it is for all parents to create a comprehensive plan that will protect their children should the unthinkable occur.

But what happens if you are divorced and can’t come to an agreement with your ex-spouse as to who should raise your kids if something happens to you?  Should you go ahead and document your own guardianship wishes anyway?  And just whose wishes would hold up in court?

In most cases, if your child’s biological parent is still living at the time of your death and you share custody, your children will be raised by the surviving parent, unless there is some clear reason why that should not happen.

There is nothing you can do about this, unless you can prove that the child’s biological parent is unfit to raise your child and make a compelling case as to why your guardianship nominations should be honored under the circumstances.

Examples of this might include a severe drug addiction, criminal past or a history of abuse.

However, if this is unlikely, the next best thing to do is name guardians anyway so that your wishes for the care of your children will be known and taken into consideration should your ex-spouse should also pass away before your kids reach the age of 18.

This is especially important in the event your ex-spouse did not legally document his or her guardianship wishes upon passing, as your wishes would then be given priority over, say, an unwilling step-parent (just think back to the Cinderella story for a chilling example of this).

Finally, if you are a single parent and have concerns not only about guardianship, but also concerning your ex-spouse handling any assets you would leave to your kids if you passed away first, I encourage you to meet with a Houston wills lawyer right away so you can protect such funds and ensure they are used for your children’s care only in your absence. 

If you need help getting started with this, please feel free to give our office a call at (281) 218-0890 and request a Lifetime Legacy Planning Session.  These sessions are normally $750, but you can come in free of charge with the mention of this article.  Again, call (281) 218-0880  to reserve your spot (limited to first 10 callers).