Your family is important to us!
D Marie Family Law offers comprehensive legal advice and counsel in all areas of family law. If you have a legal matter or problem I can offer you the best representation in the Greater Houston area. I have a reputation for creative litigation approaches and achieving exceptional results where other attorneys fall short.
Practice Areas
Divorce
No matter what the circumstances surrounding a divorce may be, the divorce process is one wrought with strong emotions. As you enter into this process, you must take precautions to ensure that your rights and interests are protected.
Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful is an experienced divorce lawyer who is ready to help you navigate the world of divorce and rebuilding your life after divorce. Whether the divorce is simple or complicated, you need Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful on your side.
When you partner with Attorney Blackful for your divorce, you benefit from working with an attorney dedicated to providing personal care to each one of her clients.
Attorney Blackful will take the time to earn your trust and get to know you as an individual. This helps her provide you with care that meets your unique needs. She is committed to seeing each one of her clients through the divorce process, from start to finish, while working tirelessly to protect their rights. She will meet and exceed your expectations as you deal with the emotional and financial repercussions of divorce.
Child Custody
Child custody issues in Texas are best decided in an amicable way between the parents. This includes matters of where the child will live as well as visitation. In the event that parents cannot agree on either custody or visitation, the court will step in and make a determination that is in the best interest of the child or children involved. Whenever you are going through a custody battle, you should consult with a custody and visitation lawyer to ensure that your interests are fairly represented and to make sure that you are not at the mercy of the courts.
Child custody and visitation can be very complicated, especially if parents do not live close to each other. However, parents should always be taking the best interests of their child into consideration when they are making any type of determination that will impact them. The courts will look at a number of factors including:
Parental resources – the court will determine what resources the parents have available to successfully raise a child. This will include proper housing, ability to get assistance from other family members and financial resources.
Age of the child determination – after a child reaches a certain age, the court may allow the child to have some say in custody matters. This will almost always be handled by the judge and in their quarters to avoid the child having to speak in open court.
Additional considerations – the courts will also likely take other factors into consideration, especially if the court determines there are special needs. This may include issues such as one parent being an active military member, one parent with unusual work schedules or a child with special needs. Each of these issues must be taken into consideration when determining what is best for the child.
Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful understands that every parent is concerned for the safety and well-being of their children. As custody & visitation lawyer, she also understands that there are many benefits to being able to work out a successful agreement between the parents before the issue must be taken to the court. Whether you are at odds about custody and visitation or you wish to work out a resolution before the court steps in, you can count on the experience of Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful.
Adoption
Growing your family is always an exciting time, but when you are growing through the process of adoption, you face many more hurdles than you would growing your family another way. Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful believes that adoptive parents and their children need a strong advocate to help them through the court process and adoption paperwork. If you are looking for an adoption lawyer, Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful is ready to help.
Child Support
Texas law requires both parents to assume financial responsibility for their child. As a result, when a child’s parents don’t live together, the noncustodial parent must typically pay child support to the child’s custodial parent to ensure that the child’s needs are met. If you are involved in a child support case, you may benefit from the services of Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful.
About Texas Child Support Law
Child support amounts in Texas are based on the income of the obligor (parent that pays child support), as well as the financial needs of the children and the current custody agreement. Custodial parents can apply for child support through the Child Support Division of the Office of the Attorney General. Child support orders remain valid until the child turns 18, dies or gets married. If the child graduates high school after age 18, child support will continue until graduation.
Establishing Paternity
Paternity must typically be established before a formal child support order can be made. In cases where paternity has not already been determined by marriage, both biological parents can sign an Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP). However, if the mother was married to someone else during the pregnancy, or if either party refuses to sign the AOP, paternity must be established in court.
Modifications
Child support calculations are based on circumstances that are subject to change. If such a change occurs, either party can apply for a modification of the order.
Enforcement
If the person obligated to pay child support stops making payments, the recipient can pursue enforcement.
Depending on the situation, enforcement may involve wage garnishments, interception of tax refunds, driver’s license suspension and liens placed against the noncustodial parent’s property.
Hiring a Child Support Lawyer
Child support law can be complicated. When you are involved in a child support case, only an experienced Texas Child Support Lawyer can ensure that your rights are always protected. If you are seeking to establish a new child support order, enforce an existing order or request a modification, Attorney Donnica Marie Blackful can help.
Attorney Blackful can also help with the establishment of paternity. Contact our office today to schedule a free consultation or to learn more about our services.
This attorney has done more for me in one month than a 23 year veteran attorney did for me in 6 months! She succeeded in getting a modification of temporary orders on my child custody case that most (so-called experienced) attorneys said I’d never get and wouldn’t touch. Not only did we succeed in modifying the temp orders, but the judge gave us things we never asked for. Her preparation is second to none. This lady knows her stuff. Compassionate, helpful and a good listener are just a few positive adjectives to describe this extraordinary attorney. Sometimes it feels as though she doubles as my therapist. Seriously, I can finally say I’ve found an attorney who CARES about her clients. I recommend her 100%.
- Divorce Client
I needed a lawyer, counselor, someone who could advise me; that was sensitive and compassionate to my current situation as well as one who possesses working knowledge who would explain legal jargon in layman’s terms while understanding the complexities of emotions that one can go through in a death of a marriage or/and family. As i saw it, I did not have counsel whom acted in the best interest of me or my children behalf. A unexpected call from a friend of circles, I then was referred to Ms Donnica Blackful and although many mistaken had already taken place, it was comforting to hear that there were options on my side. she allowed me know and understand what was taking place and why, that my stress and frustration was because I was not being made informed as she saw it. I am so thankful for her and pray for favor over her life as she has provided that which I needed at the time I needed without the “hurdle” bit. I now consider my position if she would have been referred first. I am so grateful to even have had communication with her, Ms Donnica Blackful. She was all of those things I needed and more. So caring, having me to understand where I was in this process and what would make for the best decision. God sent her and I am truly grateful for her consultation. If all lawyers were anything like her!!! WOW!! the best!
- Anjanette
Get in Touch
Address:
19901 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, Texas 77479