When your family is facing a divorce, a custody dispute, or another family law matter, the outcome shapes your finances, your home, and your relationship with your children for years to come. Hargrave Law, PC has represented Bedford, Texas families since 1999, and our office sits directly in Bedford at 2719 Northridge Dr #200 — not in downtown Fort Worth or across the Metroplex, but in the community we serve. Attorney Earl A. Hargrave built this practice around a simple idea: clients deserve to meet directly with the attorney handling their case, understand what is happening at every stage, and receive a strategy built around their specific family rather than a generic template.
This page covers the full range of family law matters we handle for Bedford clients, how the Texas Family Code and Tarrant County courts approach each issue, what you can realistically expect in terms of timeline and process, and answers to the questions Bedford families ask us most often. Whether you are just beginning to consider your options or you are already facing a filed case, understanding how these issues work in practice — not just in theory — will help you make better decisions.
Alimony & Spousal Support
Texas law calls it spousal maintenance, and unlike some states, Texas does not award it automatically just because a marriage is ending. A spouse seeking maintenance generally has to show either that the marriage lasted at least ten years and they lack the ability to earn enough income to meet their reasonable needs, or that specific circumstances apply — a qualifying disability, the need to care for a disabled child, or a family violence conviction against the paying spouse within a certain window before the case was filed. Even when a spouse qualifies, Texas caps both the amount (generally the lesser of $5,000 per month or 20% of the paying spouse’s average monthly gross income) and the duration, which is tied to the length of the marriage.
For Bedford clients, this means the first real question in a maintenance case is not “how much” but “does my situation actually qualify.” We walk through your marriage length, your income and earning capacity, and whether any of the exception categories apply before building a maintenance strategy — whether you are the spouse who may need support or the spouse who wants to limit exposure to a maintenance claim. Misconceptions run in both directions here: some Bedford clients assume a long marriage automatically means guaranteed support, while others assume Texas simply does not have alimony at all. Neither is accurate, and the details of your specific marriage determine the outcome.
Adoption
Adoption gives a child a legally permanent family, and for many Bedford clients it comes up as a stepparent adoption — a spouse wanting to formally adopt a stepchild after marrying into the family. Texas law requires that the other legal parent’s rights be addressed before an adoption can proceed, either through their voluntary consent, a signed affidavit of relinquishment, or a court order terminating their rights based on specific statutory grounds such as abandonment or an inability to support the child. Most stepparent adoptions also require a home study, though the requirements tend to be less extensive than for private or agency adoptions involving someone outside the family.
The process itself moves through a formal petition, the home study, and a final hearing before a Tarrant County judge, who reviews everything and signs the adoption decree that makes the relationship legally permanent. Timelines vary considerably: an uncontested stepparent adoption where the other parent consents can sometimes be finalized within a few months, while a contested termination of parental rights can take significantly longer because the court has to make specific findings before it will terminate someone’s legal rights to their child. We also represent grandparents and other relatives pursuing adoption, which follows a similar framework once the legal parents’ rights have been resolved.
Child Custody & Conservatorship
Texas does not use the word “custody” in its statutes — it uses conservatorship for the legal rights and duties a parent holds, and possession (sometimes called visitation) for the physical schedule of when a child is with each parent. Texas law starts from a presumption that both parents should serve as joint managing conservators, sharing decision-making rights over things like education and medical care, unless the evidence shows that arrangement would not serve the child’s best interest — a threshold most often overcome in cases involving family violence, substance abuse, or a documented pattern of neglect. Possession is a separate question, and Tarrant County courts frequently default to the Texas Standard Possession Order, though parents are free to agree to a different schedule that better fits their actual lives.
When Tarrant County judges evaluate conservatorship and possession, they weigh the child’s physical and emotional needs now and into the future, each parent’s ability to prioritize the child’s wellbeing over their own conflict with the other parent, the stability each home offers, and — for children twelve and older — the child’s own stated preference, though that preference does not control the outcome by itself. Custody orders are not set in stone. A material and substantial change in circumstances, such as a parent relocating, a shift in the child’s needs, or new safety concerns, can justify a modification. Bedford parents facing a custody dispute for the first time often assume the process is a fight to “win” the child; in practice, the strongest cases usually focus on demonstrating stability and the child’s wellbeing rather than attacking the other parent.
Child Support
Texas child support follows statutory percentage guidelines applied to the paying parent’s net monthly resources — roughly 20% for one child, rising incrementally for additional children up to a statutory cap on the resources considered. That guideline figure is a starting point, not an automatic result: courts can adjust the amount based on factors specific to your family, including other children the paying parent supports, the child’s healthcare needs, educational costs, and travel expenses tied to possession exchanges. Support obligations typically continue until a child turns 18 or graduates high school, whichever is later, and can extend indefinitely for a child with a qualifying disability that existed before adulthood.
When support goes unpaid, Texas gives Tarrant County courts real enforcement tools — wage withholding directed at the paying parent’s employer, interception of state and federal tax refunds, suspension of driver’s and professional licenses, and, in serious cases, contempt proceedings that can carry fines or jail time for willful nonpayment. On the other side, support orders can be modified when circumstances change materially, or automatically reviewed after three years if the guideline amount would now differ significantly from the existing order. We represent Bedford parents on both sides of these disputes: establishing a fair order in the first place, and enforcing or modifying one that no longer reflects reality.
Divorce
Texas is a no-fault divorce state, which means a spouse can file based on insupportability — the marriage has become unsupportable due to conflict — without proving the other spouse did anything wrong. Fault grounds like adultery or cruelty remain available, and choosing to plead them is often a strategic decision rather than an emotional one, since fault can influence how a Tarrant County court divides property or evaluates a maintenance claim. Every Texas divorce, contested or not, is subject to a mandatory 60-day waiting period from the date of filing before the court can grant it, so even the most cooperative uncontested case cannot finalize before that window closes.
For Bedford clients, the practical divorce timeline depends almost entirely on how much the spouses agree. An uncontested case with a full agreement on property, custody, and support can often finalize shortly after the 60-day period ends, requiring only a brief prove-up hearing. A contested case moves through additional stages — temporary orders to handle immediate issues like who stays in the house and interim support, discovery to gather financial and other information, and negotiation or mediation before trial becomes necessary. Most contested divorces still resolve before trial, but preparing every case as though it could go to trial is usually what makes a strong settlement possible in the first place.
Pre- and Postnuptial Agreements
A prenuptial agreement, signed before the wedding, or a postnuptial agreement, signed after the couple is already married, can settle property and financial questions in advance rather than leaving them to a court years later. These agreements can characterize property as separate versus community, define rights to assets acquired during the marriage, set limits on spousal maintenance, and address how a business interest will be treated if the marriage ends — all while the relationship is amicable and both parties can think clearly about the terms. To be enforceable in Texas, the agreement must be in writing and signed voluntarily; it can be challenged as unenforceable if it was signed involuntarily, or if a party proves it was unconscionable when signed and they did not receive fair disclosure of the other party’s property and financial obligations, and did not otherwise have or voluntarily waive knowledge of it.
Bedford clients sometimes assume a marital agreement is only for wealthy families or that it signals distrust going into a marriage. In practice, these agreements are just as valuable for protecting a family business, clarifying expectations around a blended family, or reclassifying property after the wedding through a postnuptial agreement. One important limit: Texas law does not allow a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement to set child support in advance, since support decisions have to be based on the child’s actual needs and best interest at the time they arise.
Property & Asset Division
Texas is a community property state, meaning property acquired during the marriage is presumed to belong to both spouses equally, while property owned before the marriage — along with gifts and inheritances received during it — is generally treated as separate property not subject to division. Proving an asset is separate property requires clear and convincing evidence, which makes documentation and tracing critical, especially for assets that have been mixed with community funds over the years, like an inheritance deposited into a joint account. Community property commonly at issue in Bedford cases includes the family home, retirement accounts and pensions, business interests, investment accounts, and vehicles.
A “just and right” division under Texas law is not automatically an even 50/50 split. Tarrant County courts can weigh factors including each spouse’s earning capacity and health, which spouse will have primary custody of the children, and fault in the breakup of the marriage when deciding how to divide the community estate. Dividing certain assets, like a 401(k) or pension earned partly during the marriage, often requires a qualified domestic relations order to split the account without triggering early withdrawal penalties. If your spouse owns a business, that business may have a community property component even if only one spouse actively runs it, which can require a formal valuation before a fair division is possible.
Why Bedford Families Choose Hargrave Law
Local Knowledge That Actually Matters
Bedford sits in Tarrant County, and every family law case filed here is heard in the Tarrant County family district courts in Fort Worth. Knowing the standard scheduling practices, how local judges tend to approach conservatorship and property questions, and what documentation Tarrant County courts expect is the difference between a case that moves efficiently and one that drags on for months longer than it should. Our Bedford office puts us minutes from the families we represent in Bedford, Euless, Hurst, Colleyville, and the surrounding mid-cities communities, without requiring a drive across the Metroplex for every meeting.
What Happens Next
Every family law matter starts with a consultation where we review your specific situation, your goals, and your realistic options — not a generic script. From there, most cases move through some combination of temporary orders, discovery, and negotiation before resolving, whether through an agreed settlement or, when necessary, trial. Call Hargrave Law, PC at 817-282-0679 to schedule a confidential consultation about your Bedford family law matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How long does a divorce take in Bedford, Texas?
Texas law requires a minimum 60-day waiting period after filing before any divorce can be finalized. Uncontested cases in Tarrant County are often resolved close to that minimum, while contested cases involving custody disputes or significant property disagreements can take several months to over a year depending on the court’s docket and how much the spouses disagree.
Q2. Is Texas a community property state?
Yes. Property acquired during the marriage is presumed to belong to both spouses equally, with exceptions for separate property like inheritances, gifts, or assets owned before the marriage. A Tarrant County court divides the community portion in a way it finds just and right, which is not always an exact even split.
Q3. What is conservatorship, and how is it different from custody?
Conservatorship is the Texas legal term covering a parent’s rights and duties, such as decision-making authority over a child’s education and medical care. Possession, sometimes called visitation, is the separate question of the physical schedule for when the child is with each parent — a parent can be a joint managing conservator without having equal possession time.
Q4. Do I have to go to court if my spouse and I agree on everything?
Even a fully agreed, uncontested divorce requires a brief court appearance in Tarrant County, called a prove-up hearing, to finalize the decree. Because agreed cases skip contested litigation, this hearing is typically short and can happen as soon as the 60-day waiting period has passed.
Q5. How is child support calculated in Texas?
Texas applies percentage guidelines to the paying parent’s net monthly resources — roughly 20% for one child, increasing for additional children, subject to a statutory cap on the resources considered. Courts can adjust the guideline amount based on factors like the child’s specific needs or extraordinary expenses.
Q6. Who qualifies for spousal maintenance in Bedford?
Eligibility generally requires either a marriage of at least ten years combined with an inability to earn sufficient income, or specific circumstances such as a qualifying disability, a disabled child requiring care, or a family violence conviction within a certain timeframe before the case was filed. Even when a spouse qualifies, Texas caps both the amount and duration of maintenance.
Q7. Can a Bedford custody order be changed later?
Yes, if there has been a material and substantial change in circumstances since the last order — a parent relocating, a change in the child’s needs, or new safety concerns — a Tarrant County court can modify conservatorship or possession. The change has to be shown to serve the child’s best interest.
Q8. Does a prenuptial agreement mean we don’t trust each other?
Not in practice. Most Bedford couples who sign these agreements use them to protect a family business, clarify expectations for a blended family, or settle financial questions in advance while the relationship is amicable, rather than as a signal of distrust.
Q9. What happens if my ex stops paying child support?
Texas offers several enforcement tools, including wage withholding, tax refund interception, license suspension, and contempt proceedings that can result in fines or jail time for willful nonpayment. An attorney can help determine which enforcement route fits your specific situation.
Q10. What does a consultation with Hargrave Law involve?
You will meet directly with an attorney to discuss your situation, your goals, and your realistic options in plain language. Call our Bedford office at 817-282-0679 to schedule a confidential consultation and discuss scheduling and next steps.
