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Temporary orders can help keep things calm during a divorce

Regardless of what led to the dissolution of your marriage, you may feel like your world is ending. Nevertheless, life goes on. Your children have to get to school, you must work, and meals need to be cooked. These may be difficult to do under the present circumstances.

In fact, you may feel overwhelmed by some of the decisions you must make. For example, if you and your spouse are splitting up, who will stay in the house? When will you see the children? Who will pay the bills? How will you manage those daily obligations you used to handle as a couple? You certainly don’t want to be battling with your spouse over these issues for months to come.

The elements of temporary orders

For many couples, the answers to those questions can come in the form of temporary court orders. Since your divorce settlement may take many months to resolve, you cannot let these matters go until then. Through temporary orders, the court sets boundaries so your family can continue with life as normally and peacefully as possible until you reach a permanent settlement or the court issues permanent orders.

Temporary orders can address the following issues and many others:

  • Who will live in the house, pay its mortgage and utilities, and take care of upkeep?
  • Who will drive which car, make the payments and be responsible for maintenance?
  • How will you divide time with the children?
  • Who will pay for certain expenses for your children such as health insurance or extra-curricular activities?
  • Who will make decisions regarding the children, such as whether they need to see a counselor?
  • Will one of you pay child or spousal support — and how much?

Temporary orders may be the jumping off point for property division since you may wish for a ruling on how to divide certain personal property.

Seeking a positive resolution

A hearing for temporary orders usually occurs within a few days of your request. The hearings are typically quick with little time for discussion or testimony, so it will be important that you know the issues you want to discuss and the outcome you hope to accomplish.

While temporary orders are not the final word in your divorce, they often become the building block for permanent orders. For this reason, it is critical that you make a strong argument for your goals. A skilled Texas family law attorney can be an important advocate at this time and throughout your divorce proceedings.