Mansfield family law attorney Wendy L. Hart of The Law Office of Wendy L. Hart is speaking out about the changes reshaping divorce proceedings in Texas, and the costly mistakes people make every day.
-- With more than 30 years of experience guiding families through one of life's most difficult transitions, Mansfield family law attorney Wendy L. Hart of The Law Office of Wendy L. Hart is speaking out about the changes reshaping divorce proceedings in Texas, and the costly mistakes she sees clients make every day.
From the rise of remote proceedings to the hidden dangers of social media, Hart says the landscape of divorce law has shifted significantly in recent years, and many clients are still catching up.
"Especially since COVID, we are doing a lot of remote stuff," said Hart. "There are some clients that I don't ever even meet in person. We will handle everything remotely, and if it's a completely agreed case, they may sign off on the paperwork and don't even have to go to court at all. They don't have to miss work. They don't have to come into the office and take time off."
That flexibility has been a welcome development for many clients. But Hart warns that another modern habit is creating serious problems in the courtroom: social media.
"Nothing good comes out of social media," she said. "If it is used in court, it's going to be the other side using your social media posts against you. It's never used for good. It's always used for bad." Her advice to every client is simple: get off all platforms immediately. "It's just a minefield that's going to be brought into court."
One of the most common issues Hart handles is clients returning to modify existing child support and custody arrangements. She says a job loss, an income increase, or kids simply getting older are all valid reasons to revisit an existing order, but many people don't realize that a court order doesn't automatically adjust when circumstances change.
"If you have a court order to pay, it does not change just because your pay changed. You have to go back to court and change that order," she explained. "Until you do, you are paying at whatever rate is there."
Before founding her own practice, Hart worked for the Texas Attorney General's office specializing in child support matters, giving her a depth of knowledge in this area that she brings to every modification case. She notes that while clients can file for modification through the Attorney General's office, hiring an attorney typically speeds up the process considerably.
On the custody side, Hart is seeing a growing trend of parents moving away from Texas's standard possession schedule toward a week-on, week-off arrangement, particularly over the summer. "It works really well because most summer camps are a week at a time," she noted.
In Texas, a community property state, Hart says the single biggest misconception she encounters involves how assets are divided, particularly among couples who maintained separate bank accounts throughout their marriage.
"What they don't often understand is that income is community property," she said. "So when you're paying for the house or paying into your retirement, that is still community property. People are often surprised that their retirement account is community property, or that they paid all the house payments and it's still divided."
For couples with significant assets or business interests, Hart strongly recommends bringing in outside specialists before finalizing any division of property. "Divorce lawyers are not tax attorneys. When you have bigger assets, you need to look at the tax consequences. Getting a CPA, a tax attorney, or an estate planner involved is one of the times I tell clients it's worth spending a little more."
After three decades in family law, Hart has a clear message for anyone heading into the process.
"Try and stay out of court, especially if you have children, because you will continue to be a family," she said. "When you go into court, you never go in to say she's the best mom or he's the best dad. You're always going in to say the bad stuff. They always remember that, and it hurts your relationship going forward."
She also cautions clients against expecting the legal system to heal emotional wounds. "The court is going to divide your property and tell you where your kids go and when. But it doesn't fix the emotion of being hurt by your spouse. You have to do that work on your own."
The Law Office of Wendy L. Hart is located at 105 N. First Ave., Mansfield, TX 76063, and serves clients throughout Tarrant County and surrounding communities including Fort Worth and Arlington. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call (817) 842-2336 or visit divorcelawfortworth.com.
Contact Info:
Name: Wendy L. Hart
Email: Send Email
Organization: The Law Office of Wendy L. Hart
Address: 105 N. First Ave., Mansfield, TX 76063, USA
Phone: (817) 842-2336
Website: https://www.divorcelawfortworth.com/
Release ID: 89198488
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