San Antonio Family Law Blog

How to challenge a CPS investigation when you're innocent

On behalf of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Child Protective Services (CPS) on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

In my last article, I discussed some facets of a CPS investigation to keep in mind when you're innocent. It's important, ultimately, to comply with what CPS request in order to protect your parental rights and keep in contact with your children. But as I discussed, it's also important to protect yourself if complying with CPS requests would interfere with your job and your livelihood.

The most important to-do at the outset is to be truthful and complete with your lawyer. It could be that you're completely innocent of the allegations, and that those allegations are complete works of fiction. It's also possible that there's an exaggeration or some misinterpretation of something you did. Your lawyer can only truly, fully help you if he or she knows the full story of what happened from your perspective.

What to know before dealing with a CPS investigation when you're innocent

By Crystal Pacheco of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Child Protective Services (CPS) on Friday, January 10, 2020.

It's a paradox I've seen in my time working on Child Protective Services cases: There are situations in which children really need to be protected in which CPS does nothing, and then there are cases where there are good parents who are doing a good job who are investigated. Sometimes, it's a CPS officer who is new or overzealous, who has a heart in the right place, and who wants to help children.

Financial New Year's Resolutions with long-term payoff

By Betty Vance of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Finances and Divorce on Friday, January 3, 2020.

It's the time of year, as 2019 turns into 2020, that we think about New Year's Resolutions. They're notoriously hard to start, and even notoriously hard to keep, but they're intended, at least, to make us better.

A New Year's Resolution for Divorced Parents: Better Communication

By Betty Vance of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Parenting Plans on Friday, December 27, 2019.

Divorce is challenging for anyone who's gone through it, but it's especially challenging for parents. First of all, the divorce immediately affects the people in their lives they love most. Every decision made through the divorce process has the potential to affect their children adversely. They can't just operate from a place of self-interest; getting the best decree possible means taking care of their children as well as themselves.

Is Collaborative Divorce really the best option for me?

By Byrd Bonner of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Collaborative Divorce on Friday, December 20, 2019.

One of the best things about practicing family law with the Law Office of Lisa A. Vance is the different divorce options we're able to offer clients. If you have a case that needs to be litigated, we take the fierce part of our "fierce but compassionate" motto to heart. If you feel your case can be settled through mediation, we have experience in getting decrees secured through those means. And if you feel that a collaborative divorce fits you best, we have lawyers specifically trained in that branch of family law practice who can work with you.

The importance of therapy in the divorce process

By Byrd Bonner of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. on Friday, December 13, 2019.

When people go through divorce, they're in what will be one of the most stressful experiences they'll ever go through. It's a time where there's a lot of fear, anger, and anxiety, and it affects individuals in a lot of different, sometimes unexpected ways.

Don't treat Second Christmas like second-best Christmas

By Betty Vance of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Children in Divorce on Friday, December 6, 2019.

One of the most challenging things about divorce - if you have children and if you love the holidays - is getting used to the holiday schedule that comes with divorce. If you follow standard orders in the Texas Family Code, you'll be familiar with Dec. 28 at noon. That's when custody transfers from one parent to the other.

A Thanksgiving Story from Our Office We Wanted to Share

By Betty Vance of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Pets in Divorce on Saturday, November 30, 2019.

First of all, we wanted to wish all of you out there a Happy Thanksgiving. We know that a lot of our readers come to us with difficult family situations they're trying to resolve. For those of you encountering this blog for the first time, you might be gathering information with plans to move forward with a divorce in the New Year. We encourage you, first of all, to enjoy this time - especially with your children, if you have them. We'll be here through the holiday season and into 2020 to help you through your situation.

What do I do if I've been accused of child sexual abuse?

By Lisa A. Vance of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Child Protective Services (CPS) on Friday, November 22, 2019.

Child sexual abuse is one of the most horrible, unthinkable crimes out there. Most of us rightly know how wrong it is and how potentially damaging it can be. Of course, there's more awareness about it now than ever before. It's not something that just gets swept under the rug, and as a society, we're better for that awareness in the long run.

Lessons on Civility We Learned From Our Halloween Party

By Betty Vance of The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C. posted in Ethics in Divorce on Friday, November 15, 2019.

We recently had a fantastic Halloween party in our office that our paralegals and office staffers put together. I already know, from the day in and day out work they do to help clients, protect clients, settle divorces and resolve CPS cases, how well they work together.