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| Practice Areas Please
call me to discuss your situation. I would be happy to discuss your
case briefly and estimate my fees by telephone. I DO NOT CHARGE for
your first phone call with me! If you leave me a message on my
answering machine, I will return your call as soon as I can.
Please see below for more information and links: I
enjoy helping people with adoptions! If you are adopting a child, I can
assist if you already know of the child to be adopted. I do not
act as an adoption agent to locate a child. My clients usually include
step-parents adopting their spouse's child or couples adopting the
child of their friend or relative. Sometimes an adoption case involves
the termination of the parent-child relationship of one or both
biological parents. As in other types of cases, adoption is less
expensive if everyone involved agrees and cooperates. It is also
possible for an adult to adopt another adult! This is sometimes done
after a child--whose biological parent would not consent to the adoption before--has now reached age 18 or over.
Child Custody - Support - Visitation - Modification
It
is very important for parents to agree and cooperate with each other in
these cases. Whether it is the first time a case involving a child is
going to court, or whether a case is returning to court so that an
order can be modified, parents who agree and cooperate save money,
time, trouble, and energy. If you are involved in a case about you
child, please consider Collaborative Law, Mediation, and/or Negotiation.
Collaborative
Law is important because it is a new and different way for lawyers to
assist you in reaching an agreement. People who can't agree and
cooperate may spend very large sums of money paying for lawyers to
fight in court. It makes sense to invest your money in an effort to
achieve an agreement that is created by the people involved--rather
than to spend money in a fight that will be decided by someone else.
The most important advice that I can give anyone in a potentially disputed case is this: IT IS BEST FOR YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED TO AGREE AND COOPERATE! Please click on the above link and review the other pages on this website for more information. Grandparents Rights
Sometimes
it is up to you as a grandparent to step up and do the right thing for
your grandchild. Sometimes this means full custody and sometimes it
means visitation or access to a grandchild. Please call me to discuss
your situation.
Incorporation - LLC - Partnership - Business Contracts
Creating
a corporation or LLC must be done properly in order to establish the
desired limited liability protection--even for a small business.
Partnerships do not feature limited liability, but can be less formal
and less complex to operate. My business clients are the owners of
small businesses who need a friendly relationship with their lawyer.
There
are two ways I can assist you using mediation: as your attorney or as
your mediator. However, it is not legally possible for me to do both in
the same case. After you have looked over the other pages about
mediation on this website, please call me if you have any questions
about which role I can best serve for you. I
also teach people how to be mediators. For more information about
Mediation Dynamics Mediation Training courses, please click on the
above link. Name Change for Adult or Child
I
can help you obtain a court order for a legal name change. This would
allow you to obtain a new birth certificate with the new name, new
driver's license, passport, etc. Both parents' consent is required for
a child's name change. All name changes require the consent of a judge.
Some cases like divorces or adoptions may include a name change. Successful
negotiation is essential in order to achieve an efficient agreement to
resolve your dispute. Please click on the above link for more
information about how you can negotiate and about how I can assist you
in your negotiations. Powers of
Attorney: Durable - General - Medical
A
Power of Attorney is a legal document used by a person (called the
“principal”) to appoint another person (called the “agent” or the
“attorney in fact”) who will use the document to convince third parties
that the agent has authority to conduct business and make decisions on
behalf of the principal. It is important to understand that the
principal is giving the power to the agent—the agent does not “take
power over” the principal. This document is commonly used to allow your
spouse to do business in your name while you are out of town or while
you are incapacitated by illness (the “durable” nature of the power of
attorney is what makes it still valid even though the principal becomes
disabled or incapacitated). A Power of Attorney is only effective while
the principal is still alive. Please call me so that I can assist you
with this important document. Wills -
Trusts - Probate
Since
a Power of Attorney is only effective while the person who made is
alive, a will (or in some cases, a trust) is used to determine what
happens when the person dies. Although many people want just a "simple
will," it is important to have a will that is complex enough that it
could address problems which may arise. For example, if a beneficiary
of your will is incapacitated (either temporarily or permanently) then
it would be best for your will to contain a trust to take care of that
person's money while that person is unable to do so. The extra pages of
complexity added to your will now could save thousands of dollars in
legal fees if a situation like that were to arise.
-
Mark W. BatchelderIt is also important for you to have a good understanding about how non-probate assets (like life insurance policies or accounts with a pay-on-death beneficiary) are not controlled by your will. Please call me so we can make an appointment to get your will done. Otherwise, state law will decide how your assets will be distributed. © 2005, 2012 All rights reserved.
Mark W. Batchelder
Attorney at Law Fort Worth, Texas 817-926-5555 |