When a divorced or unmarried parent moves with the child far enough away to affect the other parent's court-ordered access rights or scheduled visitation, the legal consequences can be serious. Under worst-case conditions, as when the relocating parent fails to provide advance notice to either the court or the other parent, contempt or criminal charges can result.
To inform yourself of the legal, procedural and practical considerations in a parental relocation plan, contact McCurley Orsinger McCurley Nelson & Downing in Dallas or San Antonio. As one of the largest family law firms in Texas, McCurley Orsinger has the range and depth of focused experience necessary to handle parenting disputes of all kinds, including the difficult issues raised by a joint or sole managing conservator's plan to relocate.
Relocation Attorneys: Call 888-806-1987
When mutually satisfactory arrangements cannot be achieved by agreement between the parents, a family court judge will closely examine the facts of the case to determine whether the move will be in the child's best interests. In recent years, courts have generally become increasingly reluctant to approve such moves over the other parent's objection, even if the economic, educational, or other practical reasons in support of the move are generally sound.
Parental relocation plans will be subject to hard scrutiny whether the move proposed is from one side of the Metroplex to another or from Texas to a foreign country. Although relocation cases are highly sensitive to individual circumstances, it's generally safe to say that the benefits of the move for the child will need to be quite compelling in order to outweigh the child's interest in preserving an established plan for the other parent's regular access.
Somewhat easier to resolve are the issues raised when the noncustodial parent proposes to move away in order to take a better job or pursue an educational opportunity. These will still require modification of the parenting plan currently in force with possible adjustment as well to the child support obligation, and the court will still approve or deny the proposal on the basis of the child's best interests.
Child Relocation Questions? Call 877-562-6504
To find out more about the ways experienced family law attorneys can help you work through the legal and logistical considerations of a local, interstate, or international relocation proposal, contact the Dallas-Fort Worth child relocation lawyers of McCurley Orsinger at either of our two Texas locations.
(For additional information on this subject, see our article " Relocation: Long Distance Families.")
