El Paso · Divorce
Served? A written answer is generally due at 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after 20 days. Filing? A court cannot grant a divorce before day 60. Either way, today is the day to know your dates.
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Served with divorce papers? Your citation states the date your written answer is due.
If nothing is filed by then, the case can go forward by default. General information about Texas law, not advice about your case.
Two very different weeks
There is a date on your citation, and it is close. Under the Texas rules, a citation generally requires a written answer by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after 20 days from the day you were served. Count 20 days from service, then look to the next Monday — and read the citation, because your papers control.
If nothing is filed by then, the case can go forward by default. A judge can divide the property, set support, and decide a schedule for your children after hearing one side of the story. Filing an answer keeps your side alive; it does not stop the two of you from agreeing later.
Filing starts the 60-day clock. Texas Family Code § 6.702 says a court may not grant a divorce before the 60th day after the case is filed, with a narrow exception tied to family violence. The clock runs from the clerk's file stamp, not from the day your spouse is served.
Texas has no legal separation. Moving out starts no clock, and it does not by itself decide property or custody. Before anything is filed we go through the property, the children, and the cost, so it is filed once and filed right.
Bring us the papers. We read them and tell you your date.
Property, timing, and the middle of the case
Texas is a community property state. In broad terms, most property acquired during the marriage belongs to the marriage no matter whose name is on it. Property you owned before the marriage, or received by gift or inheritance, is generally separate. A court divides the community estate in the manner it finds just and right — which is not automatically 50/50.
The house, retirement accounts, a business, credit card debt, military retirement earned during the marriage: each one turns on facts and on documents. We go through yours before anything is filed, so you are negotiating with the real picture in front of you.
You also do not have to wait 60 days to get a schedule in place. A temporary orders hearing can set who lives in the house, when each parent is with the children, who pays which bills, and interim support. Temporary terms often become the starting point for the final ones — the strongest reason not to wait and see.
Google reviews
4.9 ★★★★★ 145 Google reviews — overall firm rating →
★★★★★
“Outstanding service. My divorce was handled with professionalism and compassion from start to finish. Thank you.”
★★★★★
“Simple divorce took 3 1/2 months. Good communication with us. Easy peasy.”
★★★★★
“Really helpful. They help me with my divorce and made everything easier for my ex wife and myself.”
The rating and the count are the firm's overall public Google reviews across its practice areas; the three excerpts above are family-law reviews from that same public profile, quoted as written. Individual experiences vary; reviews do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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Family hearings turn on preparation: the dates, documents, and witnesses put in front of the judge.
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Unless otherwise noted, the firm's attorneys are not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Your matter is staffed out of the El Paso office.
What happens next
If you were served, have the citation and petition with you — even a phone photo. The dates and the requests are printed on them.
You get your answer date, whether temporary orders make sense, what the property picture looks like, and the fee in writing.
If you hire us, the answer and any temporary orders request are prepared on the timeline your case actually has, not on a generic schedule.
Start at step one now. Calls Answered 24/7.
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Questions
The case can proceed without you. If no written answer is filed by the date on the citation, the court can enter a default judgment dividing property, setting support, and ordering a schedule for your children based on what your spouse asked for. Filing an answer is what preserves your say.
Texas Family Code § 6.702 bars a court from granting a divorce before the 60th day after filing, with a narrow family-violence exception. Agreed cases often finish near that window; contested cases run longer depending on what is disputed and the court's calendar.
Less than most people fear. Filing first affects timing, venue, and who gets to the first temporary orders hearing. It does not decide the outcome. What matters is whether your side is prepared and on time.
No. A court divides the community estate in the manner it finds just and right. That can be an even split, and it can be something else, depending on the facts of the marriage and the estate.
Often yes, if the Texas residency requirements for filing here are met. Serving someone who lives outside the United States adds steps and time. Tell us on the first call where your spouse lives so the plan accounts for it.
Not from us. Consultations are confidential whether or not you hire us, and we do not contact your spouse or their lawyer unless you hire us and ask us to. Tell us if a voicemail is not safe.
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Rating and review count are the firm's overall public Google reviews. Family-law review excerpts are shown above.
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