Custody

The steps to filing will depend on the particulars of your situation. To find out what the process will be like for you, please contact a lawyer in your area. If you cannot afford one, you may be able to get help from a legal resource on our TX Finding a Lawyer page.

If you are going to be filing the papers yourself without an attorney, Texaslawhelp.org has an instruction manual explaining how to file in a contested case (where the parents disagree about custody) and an uncontested case (where the parents agree). If you are the non-custodial parents, another resource is the Texas Access and Visitation Hotline, which allows you talk to a lawyer for free and talk to someone in person at their drop-in clinics. They provide legal information and assistance related to child custody and visitation issues, as well as paternity and child support information. They do not represent people in court. The statewide, toll free number, 1-866-292-4636, is answered in English and Spanish, Monday - Friday from 1 to 7 p.m. See www.txaccess.org for more information.