The Divorce Process in Dallas, Collin and Denton County

Each county in Texas has different rules and procedures for how family law and divorce cases are handled. Therefore, it is important to know that Dallas, Collin and Denton Counties will handle a divorce or family law case with very specific rules, regulations and procedure. It is very important to retain an attorney who knows the differences between the counties so that you may be properly represented in your divorce or family law matter.

What should you know about a Divorce or Family Law case in Collin County, Texas?

Collin County, Texas has 9 District courts that have what is known as courts of “general jurisdiction.” This means that each court may hear both criminal and civil cases.

Each court therefore handles a variety of different cases. When a divorce or family law matter is filed in Collin County, Texas it is randomly assigned to one of the 9 District Courts. How fast or how slow the case then proceeds through the legal process usually depends on how that specific court manages its docket.

Some courts in Collin County are more efficient with its docket than others. That means that the length of time that a family law or divorce case may take depends a great deal upon which court the case is originally assigned to.

What should you know about a Divorce or Family Law case in Denton County, Texas?

Denton County, Texas has 6 District Courts with “general jurisdiction” that hear both divorce and family law cases, as well as, criminal cases.

Like Collin County, Texas family law and divorces cases are randomly assigned to one of the District Courts when a case is filed in Denton County, Texas. Which court your family law or divorce case is set in will have a major factor on how long it takes to resolve the case. Just like other countries, some courts in Denton County, Texas move more efficiently than others or have a fewer number of pending cases

What should you know about a Divorce or Family Law case in Dallas County, Texas?

Dallas County has 7 courts that exclusively hear family law and divorce cases. In addition, in Dallas County there are 7 full time associate judges who hear family law and divorces cases. Therefore, Dallas County, Texas normally has 14 full–time family law and divorce courts

What are the special local rules for family law and divorces cases in Collin, Denton and Dallas Counties?

As previously states, Collin, Denton and Dallas counties each have special local rules that law out the specific procedure for handling a divorce or family law case in each county. Below, please find links the specific local rules of Collin, Denton and Dallas Counties:

The Dallas Family Court rules are here
Collin County rules are here
Denton County's are here

What is a Standing Order?

A “Standing Order” is an order that a court will issues once a divorce or family law case has been filed. The purpose of a standing order is to prevent either party to a divorce or family law case from depleting assets or creating new liabilities and to establish a temporary custody and child support order if there are children involved.

Most Texas counties have a standing order that will be implemented when a divorce or family law case is filed. Dallas, Denton and Collin counties all have standard orders. Below, please find a link to the Collin County and Denton County standing orders:

Collin County,
Denton County.