Custody of My Son: I am the father of my son. i originally thought i was married to his mother but the marriage certificate was never sent in. she left 6 years ago. i never thought much of it till i have began to run into things that require both parents.. i have no idea where she is. what steps should i take?? abandonment?? i have to have full custody.. She has not attempted to make any contact with me in those 6 years..
Jonathan's answer: You need to file for divorce, or at the very least, custody of your child. There is a way to get someone "served" when you do not know where they are. It's called "Citation by Publication" and is the only way to get someone served when children are involved and their whereabouts are unknown. An attorney will be required to do this correctly as each Judge wants things done a particular way in situations such as yours. It's not terribly difficult, but needs to be done correctly to avoid legal problems in the future.
Adopted child relquishment: my ex wife wants me out of her life and is threatening to have my rights taken away . We adopted our son domestically. Can she do that?
Jonathan's answer: She cannot do that ALONE - that is, without a court's intervention. You probably have visitation rights, etc. You need to be exercising those rights and showing up every 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends, etc. (or whatever your visitation is as outlined in your divorce decree). If she denies you visitation, you need to immediately file a Motion to Enforce and go in front of the Judge. If she persists, she could face jail time of up to 6 months per violation of the court order. The longer you wait, the more the Judge will assume you don't care.
How do I legally change my first name in Texas?: it is misspelled on my birth certificate and therefore misspelled on my drivers license?
Jonathan's answer: This is only done by filing a Petition for Name Change of an Adult in the county courthouse where you reside. Each county has different specific requirements, but usually you'll need to obtain a criminal history, finger print card (again - different counties require different specific things), and a certified copy of your birth certificate. You'll also need to prepare the order and then send off for a new birth certificate, driver's license, etc.