San Antonio Legal Blog

Unless you are legally married to the mother of your child, you are going to have to establish paternity if you wish to have any rights over him or her. Establishing paternity gives you rights in the legal sense, but it also helps build emotional ties between parent and child.

Once you establish paternity in Texas, you have the right to pursue custody, visitation or child support, depending on circumstances. Your child, in turn, benefits from knowing his or her father, which often helps foster a stronger sense of identity. By knowing who his or her father is, your son or daughter may also be able to gain access to medical records and similar resources that may prove important down the line. So, how might you go about establishing paternity in Texas?

Divorce can be a menacing word, even when separation is the only acceptable option for one or both partners. It may be widely known that going through this process can take an emotional and financial toll, but many older couples aren't fully prepared for the ramifications of divorce later in life. Texas couples considering an official end to their marriage should take the time to learn how to prepare and protect themselves throughout the process.

Gray divorce, a term that applies to separating partners over the age of 50, has been steadily rising since the 1990s. Divorces for people in this age bracket tend to come with a few complications that aren't as pivotal for younger spouses, particularly issues related to insurance policies and retirement plans. Some types of policies and beneficiaries can't be adjusted until after a divorce is finalized, which could leave children or other family members without financial protection until the proceedings are over.

Some Texas parents may feel that the court in their child custody case ruled in an unfair manner. They may worry that the other parent poses a risk to the child or feel unjustly excluded from their child's life. Parents have the right to appeal child custody orders, although the timing and circumstances for an appeal may vary, and it may be better in some cases to file for a modification instead. In general, custody cases can be appealed once a final order has been issued and is in place.

In most cases, parents cannot appeal a child custody decision simply because they are unhappy with it. They need to show some type of unreasonable action or procedural mistake on the part of the court that could constitute an abuse of discretion. However, even when this process may be difficult, either parent retains the right to seek a modification of the order at any time. Changed circumstances may prompt a modification request, including either parent's location, marital status or medical situation. Evidence of abuse coming to light may also prompt a request for a child custody modification.

Traffic accidents result in thousands of deaths per year. In 2017, fatal accidents caused by distracted drivers caused 3,166 deaths, which was more than 8% of all traffic fatalities. While cars have more safety features than they have in past years and decades, technology has also led to a rise in distracted driving. Although self-driving cars may put an end to distracted driving in the future, they may actually be causing drivers in Texas and around the country to take their focus off of the road today.

In recent years, vehicles have gained the ability to brake, accelerate and steer on their own. While these features have the potential to save lives, they also can make drivers complacent. Research has shown that motorists who have advanced safety or assisted driving features in their cars have slower reaction times than those who aren't using them.