Tools for Calculating Child Support

Determining the amount of child support in a divorce decree or modification order can be complicated. For assistance, try these resources:

Monthly Child Support Calculator from the Texas Attorney General

This structured form from Texas’s top attorney is a convenient guide to calculating the monthly obligation. However, per the footnote, it cannot be used by those whose “monthly net resources exceed $8,550.”

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cs/calculator/

Interactive Child Support Calculator from TexasLawHelp.org

This interactive form walks you through the process of calculating the child support obligation with interview questions and delivers a printable document showing the statutory calculation at the end. Although more time consuming at 15-20 minutes, it is very useful for self-represented litigants and others not familiar with the calculation process.

http://texaslawhelp.org/resource/texaslawhelp-child-support-calculator

Always Check the Statute

Ultimately, the tools listed above are useful, but the statute is controlling. Visit the Texas state legislature’s website for the current law concerning child support obligations.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/FA/htm/FA.154.htm#154.00

Latest and Greatest - How to Manage Your Law Office

How to Manage Your Law Office

Mary Ann Altman & Robert I. Weil

Matthew Bender

KF 318 .A758

As part of Law Practice Management Month, the Harris County Law Library has been offering tips and recommending resources to help solo and small-firm lawyers better manage their practice. Another resource that we have here at the library is How to Manage Your Law Office. Whether you are a solo practitioner, a lawyer in a corporate law department, or an attorney in a governmental law office, this two-volume set is an indispensable tool in opening your office and keeping it running smoothly.

After discussing the organizational structure of the various types of law offices, the authors dive into the issues that affect the day-to-day management of the firm, such as legal fees, accounting basics, the roles of nonlawyer staff members, law office technology, and related ethical considerations and risks. The remainder of the book is devoted to strategic planning and marketing, the hiring of new associates and support staff, and law office design, all matters that can shape the success of your law practice.

Looking Back - John Marshall

January 20, 1801 – President John Adams appointed John Marshall Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  Chief Justice Marshall remained in the position for over 34 years, making him the longest-serving Chief Justice. Chief Justice Marshall was perhaps best known for his opinion in Marbury v. Madison, the case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review. Marbury sought a writ of mandamus from the United States Supreme Court to compel Madison, the then-Secretary of State, to deliver him the commission to which he was entitled. The Court disagreed, holding that Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, which gave the Supreme Court the power to issue writs of mandamus in “cases warranted,” was void because it was in direct conflict with Article III, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, which limited the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction to those cases specifically enumerated. Thus, the Court set a precedent making any law that conflicted with the Constitution of the United States void.

If you would like to read this case or learn more about it, you can go to the website of the Legal Information Institute  or visit the Harris County Law Library.

Access HeinOnline On Your Mobile Device @ HCLL

Access HeinOnline via HCLL WiFi

Modern legal research is accomplished on a variety of screens from laptops to tablets and smartphones. At the Harris County Law Library, all of these devices are welcome. Free WiFi is available, and now, you have free access to the Law Library’s HeinOnline subscription when your device is connected to HCLL WiFi.

What’s included

HeinOnline is an excellent database for law review and historical research. The Law Library’s subscription includes a full catalog of U.S. law reviews and journals, which give you access to cutting-edge legal topics not yet covered in practice guides and extensive citations to topical materials. The subscription also includes several historical databases of interest to Harris County legal researchers, including Texas Session Laws: 1836-2013 for legislative history research. All databases are fully searchable and results are displayed using Hein’s signature reproductions of actual pages from the printed sources.

Get connected

When accessing HeinOnline through the Law Library’s WiFi, you have two options:

1.      Using a browser, visit home.heinonline.org and click the “Log In” button. This process will redirect your browser to the database once your location is authenticated.

2.      You may also use the HeinOnline App on your tablet or smartphone to connect. Download the app to your device and simply open it while connected to HCLL WiFi. As a bonus for using the App, you can continue to access the database on any network for 30 days after you connect via HCLL WiFi.

Visit HCLL today to get started.

Latest and Greatest – SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer

Smart Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer

Kenneth Vercammen

American Bar Association

KF316.5 .V47 2014

You need to attract clients to your firm – that’s business 101. But for the solo or small firm practitioner who is already practicing law, managing staff, and paying the rent, marketing seems easy to place squarely on the back burner. That can be especially true if digital marketing tools seem a little foreign – like, what is the difference between a blog post and a LinkedIn® update anyway?

That’s where SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer comes into play. This publication from the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division breaks down various types of marketing tools – from blogs and websites to social media – and provides links to examples from the author’s own marketing efforts. Subsequent chapters simplify daily and low-cost marketing practices small firm lawyers can implement to expand their business and provide tips on content creation and crafting promotional materials. Regardless of where you are on the marketing know-how spectrum, this resource can help you improve your marketing strategies and attract more clients.

Visit the Law Library to discover a copy of SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer today!