Jennifer Espronceda has a passion for helping the families in her community. As a San Antonio divorce attorney, Jennifer wants to ensure that Your rights are protected and that the law is applied fairly.
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Divorce is an unfortunate reality for about half of all marriages in the U.S. If you’re considering or planning a divorce, Espronceda Law is a valuable ally to help you through the divorce process. Whether you want the divorce or are against it, having a family law attorney in your corner will help.
Divorce can be an emotional process and even more so when children are involved.
You deserve to have a strong advocate on your side, someone who understands the legal process and how it impacts your family. You undoubtedly have concerns about how long the divorce will take, how much it will cost, and what kind of outcome you can expect. Jennifer Espronceda can answer your questions while explaining your options, so you can make informed choices. You’ll be talking to your attorney about your family, sometimes in detail. That’s why the San Antonio family law firm you hire needs to be capable, empathetic, professional
Espronceda Law can help with the divorce process, including
Child Custody
Child Support
Contested Divorce
Spousal Support
Military Divorce
Divorce Mediation & Litigation
Divorce Mediation
Sometimes, divorcing couples want to terminate their marriage as quickly and easily as possible.
If they are in agreement on big issues like property division, custody, and financial support, mediation might be a great option. Divorcing spouses often save time, stress, and fees by using a mediation process rather than litigation. By working out their issues with the help of an impartial mediator, going to court can be avoided.
Jennifer Espronceda has helped many couples settle their divorce through respectful mediation.
Divorce Litigation
If mediation is not desirable or possible, divorce litigation may be required. This is where the best divorce attorney in San Antonio can save the day.
If your divorce involves complex property valuation and division, or if you and your spouse disagree on custody, spousal support, or child support, you need an advocate who will fight for you. Divorce can be stressful, but you don’t need to navigate it by yourself. You’re no doubt already concerned about your children, your financial security, your assets, and the future of your family.
The Benefits of Hiring a San Antonio Divorce Attorney
DIY divorces are common, especially for couples who feel like their divorce will be “simple.” If you don’t have children or own any assets, you may be thinking that divorce should be a breeze. Or maybe you were only married for a short time and the divorce is uncontested, so the process should be no big deal. Whatever the reason, perhaps you’re on the fence about hiring a divorce attorney.
And here at Espronceda Law, we get it. You want to save money and move on with your life as quickly as possible.
The problem, though, is that DIY divorces rarely save time and money. In fact, they often end in disaster. Divorcees who hire an attorney can simplify the divorce process, protect their rights, and save a tremendous amount of time in the long-run.
Three reasons to hire a divorce attorney
01Paperwork. Divorce is not a simple process, even for the most amicable of divorces, purely because of the amount of paperwork involved. In Bexar County, the packet for pro se divorce litigants (or people defending themselves) is over 40 pages long! And that’s only the beginning. Furthermore, if you’re unfamiliar with family law, much of the content on those pages will be a mystery. You need someone to translate and help you complete, sign, and file everything correctly.
02Emotions Run High. Even if both parties are ready for the divorce, it’s still an emotional rollercoaster. Heightened emotions like anger, regret, sadness, and fear may give you tunnel vision and cause you to make rash decisions. A caring divorce attorney can help you keep your emotions in check, remind you of the bigger picture, and guide you toward logical decisions that you might not be able to make on your own.
03Legal Options and Communication. If you and your spouse find yourself at odds on a complicated issue, an attorney may be able to suggest options that you didn’t even know existed. In Bexar County, this becomes particularly helpful because our “presiding system” means you could potentially see a different judge every time you go to court. Without legal representation, communication with the courts about contested issues may become a challenge.
Divorce Consultation
Whether you are considering a divorce or have been served with papers, when you call our office to schedule your consultation, there are items you can collect beforehand to make our first meeting more productive and helpful.
Use this divorce checklist
- Individual and business income tax returns: local, state, and federal
- Prenuptial and separation agreements
- Proof of current income for both you and your spouse
- Bank, trust, and retirement account statements
- Stock portfolios and options
- Mortgage details
- Credit card statements and other loan documents
- Insurance policies: life, health, homeowners, and vehicle
- Property appraisals
- Wills, living wills, powers of attorney, and other estate planning documents
- A list of property owned by each spouse before the marriage
- A list of property owned jointly
- A list of personal property inherited or gifted to each individual spouse during the marriage
FAQs About Divorce in San Antonio, TX
Q: How much does divorce cost?
Some divorce costs are standard, such as the filing fees at the Bexar County courthouse: $350 for a divorce without children and $401 for a divorce with children. Beyond the basics, though, every divorce is different. For your specific situation, we can prepare a budget after your initial consultation. We’ll determine the needs and complexity of your divorce and then establish the most cost-effective solutions possible.
Q: What Is an Uncontested Divorce? (In the How to Respond to A divorce Summons: Avoid these mistakes)
If you’re one of those rare couples that agrees on all aspects of how to divide the property, child support, and custody, then the divorce is generally considered uncontested.
Q: How do I respond to a divorce summons?
If you have been served with a divorce summons, you must respond within the time provided on the summons. A common timeframe for response is the first Monday following the expiration of 20 days. Learn more about how to respond to a divorce summons with our free consultation. –>I do not offer free consultations, please make sure my website is consistent about that and does not have any references to “free” consultation.
Q: Who gets the house in a Texas divorce?
Texas is a community property state. Therefore, anything acquired during the marriage is part of the marital estate and must be divided up at the time of your divorce. There is no fast rule that says one party or another should get the house, but if you or your spouse want to stay in the house, you can try to reach an agreement. Instead of selling the home and splitting the proceeds, you can offer to refinance the home so that it is solely in your name. But you must be able to show that you can afford to make the payments. Also, if there is equity in the home, then you may be required to pay your soon-to-be ex half the amount of equity that is in the home.
Q: Why moving out is the biggest mistake in a divorce?
When you are going through a divorce, it may seem like a good idea for one of the spouses to move out of the home, but this could be your biggest mistake from a legal standpoint. If you leave your home, it could be considered abandonment of your family. Your soon-to-be ex could accuse you of abandoning him/her and your children, which increases the chances that your former spouse could get the house and the kids. When you decide to leave, even if your intentions are good, your spouse can also file paperwork asking for temporary possession of the home, which means that you won’t be able to enter the home anymore until after the divorce is finalized. It’s best to consult with your family lawyer before making any sudden moves that could have lasting repercussions on your case.
Jennifer Espronceda
Q: What's considered abandonment in a marriage?
Abandonment in a marriage takes place when one of the spouses cuts all ties with the family. Some people associate abandonment with one spouse moving out of the family home, but that may not be abandonment unless that spouse also refuses to provide support for the family. If one spouse no longer takes care of financial obligations without a good reason, this is abandonment. In Texas, you can file for a fault divorce, and abandonment could be cited as grounds for the divorce.
Q: Does it matter who files for divorce first?
In Texas, the person who files first for divorce doesn’t necessarily have an “advantage” over their spouse. However, there are some possible benefits to being the first to file. For example, you may want to file first and serve your spouse with a Standing Order if you are concerned they may negatively affect your insurance coverage or limit your access to credit. actions to affect your insurance coverage, canceling your credit card, you may want to file first so that you can if you and your spouse are separated and reside in different counties, filing first means you determine which county it’s filed in. Additionally, if you have concerns about your children’s safety, child support, or potentially hidden assets, taking the step to file first could help you get temporary orders protecting your child or any assets.
Q: What happens if a business is involved in the divorce?
If you and your soon-to-be ex started a business during your marriage,own a business together, then it’s generally considered as a property of the marriage that must be divided during the divorce. There are three different ways that this is typically divided in a Texas divorce. One option is co-ownership, where both spouses continue to own the business after the divorce. This works best in an amicable divorce. But if you don’t see yourself continuing to work alongside your ex, one of the other options may be best. One of these is to sell the business and divide the proceeds. Alternatively, if one of the parties has enough assets, he or she could buy out the business at an agreed-upon price and take full ownership of it. In case of divorces involving family businesses, a professional appraiser may be needed to determine the value of the business.
Q: What if you have children – how is custody divided?
The state prefers joint custody arrangements after a divorce so that children maintain meaningful relationships with both parents. Texas law presumes that parents should be joint managing conservators over children they have together. This means that both parents are involved in the decision-making process for things like schooling, religion, medical care, etc. However, the best interests of the child come first. The courts can grant sole custody to one parent if there’s evidence that’s the best in the best inter option for the child. Otherwise, one of the following arrangements is typically granted: joint legal custody (where the child has a primary residence with one parent and visits the other) or shared custody (where the child has two residences and lives with each parent at least 35% of the year). There is a third and less common option called split custody (when there are at least two children, and each parent is awarded full custody of at least one of them).
Q: What factors determine custody in a divorce?
The primary consideration for conservatorship (what most refer to as custody) is the best interest of the children. The judge will consider a number of factors to determine the best in a divorce. The wishes of the parents and the children are taken into consideration as well as the age of the children, each of the parents’ living situations, and their relationship with the children prior to the divorce. If there is a history of domestic abuse, substance abuse, mental illness, or other factors that could be harmful to the children, this will also be taken into consideration.
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Espronceda Law is committed to providing you with the highest quality of legal services, designed to meet the unique requirements of your case. Divorce may be difficult, but the right San Antonio divorce attorney can help you through it.