The May Firm

FAMILY LAW LITIGATION

Family legal matters can be emotionally and financially draining. It is, therefore, imperative that you have legal counsel who can assist in developing a strategy to successfully navigate this difficult time. At The May Firm, we will help you understand the laws that apply to your case, including the various options and potential outcomes. We will assist you in making informed choices when facing some of the most important decisions of your life.

In litigation, we make formidable opponents in the courtroom, presenting your case in the best light for you, with an aggressive stance when necessary. However, there are many times where certain matters may be resolved without litigation. Our attorneys will actively pursue alternative dispute resolution methods, including negotiation and mediation when it will best serve the client’s goals and objectives.

Family law includes the following areas:

• Divorce
• Child Custody
• Child support
• Possession and access
• Asset and debt division
• Spousal Support
• Post-divorce maintenance
• Enforcement of court orders
• Modification of court orders
• Rights of unmarried couples
• Termination of parental rights
• Paternity
• Protective orders
• Appeals of trial court rulings
• Premarital and postmarital agreements
• Domestic partner agreements

MEDIATION

Family law matters can be full of emotion and conflict. In litigation, such conflict can be expensive and destructive to the long-term relationship of the parties. Ms. May serves as a third-party neutral mediator in family law cases where all parties are represented by their own attorneys. Trained in conflict resolution and mediation at Texas Women’s University, she assists parties in resolving their disputes using distributive bargaining and creative problem-solving techniques.

Approximately 90-95% of all lawsuits settle out of court, many using mediation. Court dockets are increasingly crowded – it may take a long time to take a case through the court system to resolution by a judge or jury. Mediation provides an opportunity to resolve the dispute, saving time, money and emotions.

APPEALS

Sometimes trial courts and juries make mistakes. In almost every case, the party that loses thinks the trial court or jury made a mistake. Since there are very short time periods within which to complain about a mistake made at trial, it is imperative to consult an appellate lawyer before or very soon after the trial is over.

An appellate lawyer’s skills are different from those of a trial lawyer. Where good trial lawyers are adept at ferreting out information through discovery, examination of witnesses, and making persuasive oral presentations in court, the appellate lawyer must be talented in persuasive writing. On appeal, the focus shifts from developing facts to researching legal principles, understanding subtle distinctions and emerging legal trends, exploring creative analogies and guiding policy considerations that shape the law, and then assembling everything in a concise, persuasively written brief.

At The May Firm, we assist the client in understanding the appellate process while providing high quality legal services tempered with sound practical advice and the wisdom of experience. We have handled appellate matters ranging in importance from leading decisions that will affect an entire area of law to narrow procedural issues that affect one client on a single aspect of an individual case. Some areas of appellate practice include:

• Motions for Summary Judgment
• Charge preparation
• Post-trial matters
• Motions for New Trial
• Direct Appeals to the courts of appeals
• Petition for Review to the Texas Supreme Court
• Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus
• Petition for Writ of Mandamus
• Amicus Briefs
• General Appellate Issues
• Trial consultations on specialized appellate issues