AGGRESSIVE, STRATEGIC FAMILY LAW DEFENSE HONESTY, INTEGRITY AND EMPATHY
Locations in Dallas & Frisco TX. Serving the DFW region
AGGRESSIVE, STRATEGIC FAMILY LAW DEFENSE HONESTY, INTEGRITY AND EMPATHY
Locations in Dallas & Frisco TX. Serving the DFW region
Some would say Jeff Anderson started his career at the age of five, when he started following his father who was a divorce lawyer (for over 50 years) around the courthouse. He worked in his Family law office through high school and served process in college.
Throughout his education, career, and life, Jeff has dedicated himself to becoming the best family law and divorce attorney possible. With over 30 years of experience, he specializes in child custody cases and takes a special interest in complex adoption, divorce, international custody, and family law matters in Frisco, and Dallas, TX.
“As my legal career took off, I learned that an effective attorney isn’t just aggressive and he doesn’t blindly follow the bullets as he shoots. An effective attorney is strategic and determined, has a strong sense of integrity, and is guided by values and faith. That’s how I try cases. There are two hundred ways to tell every story, but only one of those is the most persuasive.”
— Jeff Anderson
Jeff is Board Certified in Family Law, by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and served on the Texas Family Law Counsel for six years.
He has been recognized by:
Jeff is the chair of the Special Concerns of Children Committee of the AAML (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers). He has also served on the Board of Directors of Kids Matter International, where he contributed to helping children locally and globally. Regularly shares his knowledge by writing, giving talks, and teaching attorneys about family law and useful trial techniques across the state.
Recognizing that each family law case is unique, Jeff understands the need for different strategies, approaches, and presentation methods. His passion for trial advocacy led him to pursue an undergraduate degree in Speech Communications, where he learned the art of persuasion.
How do I pick the best attorney for my family law case?
A great attorney has three strong abilities.
1.) He or she has a mastery knowledge of family law and how it interplays with the facts.
2.) He or she knows how to try a lawsuit and enjoys it. Being afraid of going to trial can be devastating to the case and the client. He or she should always plan on going to trial, but also work to settle it.
3.) He or she knows how to manage a case. If a case isn’t managed properly, it might do little good to go to trial. This is where decades of experience comes in.
A skilled attorney will establish a clear strategy for your case from the start, even though the approach may need to change as the case evolves. It’s essential that an attorney clarifies the strategy and how it will be executed from the start.
It’s natural to want a quick resolution, but family law cases can take longer than expected. Having an attorney that you can trust will make the process smoother and easier to withstand.
Hire an Attorney that only practices Family Law.
Many locals already know attorneys that they have worked with over the years. They have helped them in drafting wills, estate materials or dealing with business ventures. But the same attorneys are often not qualified for a more serious family law issue like divorce or child custody. When the matter is serious, and life changing, make sure you hire an attorney that specializes in the area of practice you are needing representation. For example, if you are going through a divorce, find a divorce attorney educated and skilled in family law.
What does a Board Certified designation represent?
From there you will want to filter through all of the family law specific attorneys, and choose the best for your case. One way to do that is by finding an attorney that is board certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. When an attorney holds this certification, they are in the 1% group of attorneys, which less than 1000 attorneys have accomplished in Texas.
A recent article in Texas Lawyer explained that, even though a lawyer can be great in his or her specialized area of law, most non-family lawyers do not know how to handle a divorce case or a child related matter. They just don’t know the intricacies of family law practice and they are unable to advise their clients and efficiently spend their time (and the client’s money) on what’s important. The article reported that when it comes to Texas family law and the Texas Family Code, a number of questions exist that these lawyers tend to “get wrong.” Such matters highlight the necessity of contacting an attorney experienced in family law when you have a question about family law in Texas.
With Offices in DALLAS & FRISCO - SERVING PLANO, TX; COLLIN, DENTON, TARRANT COUNTIES
Board Certified Family law Attorney Jeffrey O. Anderson has spent his entire legal career working with family law and divorce cases in Dallas, Frisco, and surrounding areas. He is a Texas born and educated attorney, with decades of experience representing clients in high stakes divorce and child custody cases. “I help people out in their darkest hour,” he says. “And, most importantly, I help children. Because i’ve been through divorce myself, and have children, that experience gave me a valuable perspective. It has made me even more committed to helping children and ensuring their well-being is a priority.”
ALL THESE DEMAND THE VERY BEST!
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT LEGAL MATTERS INVOLVING DIVORCE OR CHILD CUSTODY?
CALL TODAY! (214) 273-2448
If you live in Dallas County, you can file for divorce at the Dallas County District Clerk’s office located at: 600 Commerce Street Suite 103, Dallas, TX 75202. Click Here for Directions.
In Collin county, you can go to the Collin county district clerks office located at Building 2100 Bloomdale Rd. McKinney, TX 75071. Click here for directions.
You have an absolute right to represent yourself in a family law case, but the stakes are high, and no mistakes can be made. In the end, most folks who decide to go the DIY route, do not get the result they had hoped for.
If you want to ensure sure your case is handled properly, the law is followed, and the outcome is favorable, you need a family law lawyer. They are educated in all family law matters covering divorce, child custody, adoption, prenuptial agreements, and much more.
In the end, it is much easier and cheaper to have an experienced and skilled attorney represent you from the beginning than it is to pay a new attorney to fix all the things that might be damaged by the last or due to a diy approach.
A divorce begins when an Original Petition for Divorce is filed, along with the filing fee. In Frisco and Dallas, that fee is $350.00 if there are no children of the marriage and $401.00 if there are children.
According to the Dallas County District Clerk’s Office “To file for divorce in Dallas County, you should have lived in Dallas County for 90 days and in Texas for six months”. Technically, this means that either you or your spouse need to have lived in Dallas for at least 90 days, and have been a resident of Texas for a minimum of 6 months.
In Collin County, a divorce can be filed if one of the spouses has been a resident for 90 days, and one of the spouses has lived in Texas for 6 months.
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The filing fee to submit a Petition for Divorce at the Dallas County District Clerk’s Office is $350.00 when there are no children from the marriage. If there are children, the fee is $401.00.
For a modification action, the filing fee is $95.00. A Judge can decide the custody and visitation arrangements for your children, though Texas is one of only two states that allow for jury trials on some matters, like primary custody and domicile restriction. Without an experienced custody lawyer on your side you are leaving custody to chance.
The filling fee for a Petition for divorce in Collin County is $400 to $450. Similar to the fee structure above, the fees will vary based upon the specifics of your case.
The short answer is “yes”. There are two ways to get your spouse served. One is to pay for service when you file for divorce. If you do that, a County Constable will serve your spouse with the documents. The other is to have a private process server take care of it. My office uses a private process server. They are generally slightly more expensive, but they will work with the client to get their spouse served. Constables often have no communication with the client at all. If your spouse chooses to sign a Waiver of Citation or file an Answer to your Divorce without being served, then there is no need for service at all.
By law, the Court can’t grant your divorce until the Original Petition has been on file for at least 60 days. That’s a minimum amount of time. If your case goes longer than that, the Court will not automatically dismiss your case on the 61st day. That 60 day time period should not be confused with the amount of time the other spouse has to answer the case after they are served. Once you or your spouse are served, the answer is due in 20 days, plus the Monday thereafter. That’s a bit confusing. It means that if the 20th day falls on, for instance, a Thursday, the answer isn’t due until the following Monday. If the case isn’t answered timely, then a default judgement can be taken, which means the case gets finished without any input from the spouse who was served. But if the case hasn’t been on file for at least 60 days, the Court can’t grant the divorce, default or not.
