Child Custody Lawyer in Arlington, TX
Advocating for Your
Child’s Best Interests
- Board-certified family law attorneys
- Focused on timely, amicable, and fair resolutions
- Specializing in complex custody cases
- Long-standing relationships in Tarrant County courts
Why Choose Harris Cook Law for Child Custody Matters in Arlington, TX?
Board-Certified Family Law Attorneys
Child custody decisions shape your child’s life for years to come. Our team includes board-certified family law attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional experience and skill, giving parents confidence that their case is guided by proven judgment and a deep understanding of Texas custody law.
Long-Standing Relationships in Tarrant County Courts
With decades spent practicing family law in Arlington, Southlake, and Mansfield, TX, our attorneys have built trusted, professional relationships within the Tarrant County court system. This local insight helps us anticipate challenges and pursue more efficient, effective outcomes.
Specializing in Complex Custody Cases
From high-conflict disputes to modifications, interstate matters, and cases involving parental conduct concerns, we focus on complex child custody cases that require careful strategy and steady advocacy. Our goal is always the same: a resolution that truly serves your child’s best interests.
We Are Ready to Help
When custody is on the line, stress and uncertainty can make it incredibly difficult to navigate the next steps. You do not have to handle this alone. By choosing Harris Cook Law, your family law attorney in Arlington, TX, will combine deep legal experience with a calm, compassionate approach that puts your child’s well-being and your peace of mind first.
Whether you are seeking an initial custody arrangement or facing a difficult dispute, our team is ready to listen, guide, and advocate for a fair resolution that protects your rights and your child’s future.
“David and his team made what was such a scary and painful process one that I felt so very well represented in and taken care of through. Most of all, I felt confident of his professional and compassionate counsel and representation in seeking the very best way to lead my children and I through this process.” — Katie, 5-Star Review
What Harris Cook Law Can Give You
The legal insight of an attorney who regularly handles custody matters can provide several important benefits, including:
Peace of Mind
Family law is complicated, especially when custody is involved. You may spend hours researching online and still feel uncertain about your legal position. Working with a child custody lawyer helps relieve that burden, giving you confidence that every aspect of your case is being handled properly.
Faster Results
Without formal legal training, it is easy to make mistakes on paperwork or in court. Even small errors can lead to frustrating delays and, in some cases, negatively affect the final outcome. An experienced child custody attorney helps move the process forward as efficiently as possible.
Protection of Your Rights
The other parent may attempt to limit your access to your child. Having a lawyer by your side helps ensure your rights are protected and that you do not agree to anything less than what you are legally entitled to.
When to Hire a Child Custody Attorney
Legal guidance is always recommended in child custody matters. However, working with a qualified child custody lawyer may be especially important in certain situations, including:
If you and your spouse share children and are divorcing, the most important agreement you will reach is the child custody arrangement. Getting this right the first time can help prevent serious stress and conflict down the road. Legal guidance is especially important if you are seeking an arrangement other than Texas’s default approach of joint managing conservatorship.
Custody disputes become even more complicated when parents live in different states. Whether you lived in separate states at the time of separation or one parent moved afterward, navigating the legal requirements can be challenging. An experienced child custody attorney can help you pursue a workable solution that protects your rights and your child’s stability.
Existing conservatorship orders may need to be modified when circumstances change. Common reasons include remarriage, employment changes, medical issues, or unexpected financial hardship. When a current arrangement no longer serves your child’s best interests, a child custody lawyer can help pursue an appropriate modification.
If you are concerned that your co-parent’s behavior is irresponsible, illegal, or harmful to your child, legal intervention may be necessary. Texas family courts take issues such as abuse very seriously. A child custody attorney can help you seek primary or full custody and take steps to protect your child’s safety both immediately and long term.
What Influences a Judge's Custody Decision?
While Texas statutes and prior case law provide guidance for custody choices, judges still have wide discretion in determining conservatorship. If both parents are made conservators, the judge typically names one parent the primary joint managing conservator (the “custodial parent”). The custodial parent is the one that has the right to determine where the child lives and receives child support. All other decisions are typically made by both parents, unless otherwise spelled out in the conservatorship.
The child custody lawyers at Harris Cook Law are familiar with what judges use to determine conservatorship and who is the custodial parent. We work closely with you, collecting evidence that will help persuade a judge that selecting you as the custodial parent will be in your child's best interests.
Aspects a judge typically considers include:
- The ability of a parent to give first priority to the welfare of the child
- Whether a parent can encourage and accept a healthy relationship with the other parent
- How much a parent participated in a child's care before the split
- Whether the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of the child benefit from a joint managing conservatorship
- Incidences of neglect, abuse, and alcohol or drug dependency
- The distance between the parents' homes
- Each parent's financial stability
- If the child is 12 or older, the judge may consider the child's preference in deciding where they prefer to live
- Any other relevant factors
Call Us Today
Without an attorney, your child’s best interests may be at risk. Reaching out now can help protect your rights and your child’s future as you move through a divorce or informal separation.
Harris Cook Law – Family Law Division in Arlington and Southlake, TX, can help you pursue a custody solution that truly serves your child’s best interests.
“We contacted Harris Cook requesting counseling in regards to a child custody case. David was very compassionate with our current situation but was also very proactive in looking ahead and advising us in a direction that would be best for our family. David was so confident and professional through all of the ups & downs. We knew we were in great hands and we feel so blessed to have achieved the outcome that David and his staff worked so hard for.” - Michelle, 5-Star Review
Schedule a legal consultation by contacting us today:
Avoid the Courtroom: Custody Agreements Through Mediation
There is an alternative to lengthy and confusing custody disputes handled by the court. Mediation with David Cook, John Clark, and their team allows parents to reach a custody agreement amicably and more quickly than traditional litigation, especially if the parents are on good terms. In addition, mediation is usually much cheaper than going through the courts.
During mediation, the two parents, their attorneys (if they have them), and a mediator meet in a neutral location to negotiate a custody agreement. The lawyers at Harris Cook Law can work as a parent's attorney or as a mediator. These meetings offer opportunities for parents and their representation to work out a custody plan that meets their child's best interests.
Child Custody in Texas: Quick Facts
David Cook, John Clark, and our team are proud members of the Tarrant County legal community and have served clients from Arlington, Southlake, Mansfield, and the Greater Dallas and Fort Worth area for decades. Before beginning your child custody negotiation, here are some facts about child custody in Texas you may find useful:
- In Texas, child custody is legally referred to as "conservatorship."
- The default position of Texas is to name the divorced parents joint managing conservators, but the well-being of the child is always the court's top priority. To argue for a court-ordered arrangement other than joint managing conservatorship, the assistance of a child custody lawyer is particularly valuable.
- Joint managing conservatorship is not the same as shared custody. In typical joint managing conservatorship arrangements, one parent has primary physical custody of the child while the other parent has visitation rights (possession and access). Both parents have equal say in decision-making regarding the child, such as education, religious upbringing, extracurricular activities, etc.
- Judges in Texas are required to consider evidence of domestic abuse when handling a custody case.
- In some circumstances, especially those involving parental neglect, third parties can sue for custody of the child. David Cook and John Clark also assist third parties, especially grandparents, with custody cases.
Our Attorneys Specialize in Difficult Cases
Our familiarity with the state child custody laws, the Texas legal system, and local judges are a distinct advantage when it comes to presenting your case to the court. In addition to crafting a sound legal strategy, Harris Cook Law also makes a point of creating a calming environment that can help you make thoughtful decisions.
If you have questions about your next steps, leave us a message online or request a consultation by phone:
Child Custody and Military Parents
Military service can add additional challenges to family law matters. Texas law includes specific provisions designed to help military parents balance service obligations with child custody arrangements. Our Arlington team proudly assists military parents throughout Southlake, Mansfield, and the Greater Dallas–Fort Worth area with child custody concerns.
Helping Single Fathers
When an unmarried couple with a child separates in Texas, the mother is typically granted full physical and legal custody by default. A father’s rights may be limited, even if his name appears on the birth certificate. Our family law attorneys in Arlington take an unbiased approach to custody matters and recognize that, in many situations, a child’s best interests may be served by being in their father’s care.
We assist unmarried fathers in pursuing fair custody and visitation rights, whether you are separating from your child’s mother or were never married. Our team can help establish paternity when necessary and pursue court orders to begin the process of securing your physical and legal custody rights. When appropriate, we can also explore collaborative solutions if your co-parent is open to cooperation.
Contact our law firm in Arlington, TX, for a thorough review of your legal options.
