Austin Child Custody Lawyer
Board-Certified Family Law Representation for Travis County Custody Cases
In Texas, child custody is legally called conservatorship, and the decisions made in these proceedings shape a parent’s relationship with their child for years. At Andrae Law, PLLC, we’ve guided Austin-area families through the full range of conservatorship matters since 2008, from agreed parenting plans to high-conflict litigation in Travis and Williamson County courts.
Our lead attorney, Amanda Andrae, is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a credential that requires a rigorous examination and peer recognition of advanced knowledge. She is also a certified mediator in civil and advanced family law and a trained collaborative law practitioner. That combination means we can pursue custody resolutions through negotiation and mediation while remaining fully prepared for courtroom proceedings when necessary. With over 40 years of combined legal experience across our team, we bring both depth and perspective to every case we handle.
Families in Travis County, Williamson County, and throughout Central Texas face decisions that carry long-term consequences. We approach each case with the clear communication and strategic preparation that complex conservatorship proceedings demand.
Speak with an Austin child custody attorney at Andrae Law, PLLC. Schedule a consultation online or call us at (512) 668-7133 today.
Local Considerations in Austin Child Custody Cases
Austin’s growth has made Travis County’s family court dockets among the busiest in Texas. The Civil and Family Courts Facility handles suits affecting the parent-child relationship across twelve District Courts, four Associate Courts, two County Courts at Law, and two Title IV-D Child Support Courts. Crowded dockets can extend case timelines significantly, making proactive case management important from the first filing.
Austin’s economy adds a layer of complexity that courts here encounter routinely. Parents working in the tech sector, state government, or other industries with demanding or nontraditional schedules often appear before Travis County judges who must weigh parental availability, residential stability, and the child’s access to schools and extracurricular programs. Residential mobility is a recurring theme in local custody cases, whether tied to job transfers, remote work arrangements, or the city’s rapidly changing housing market.
Amanda Andrae is a member of the Travis County Family Law Advocates, reflecting sustained engagement with local court culture and procedural expectations. That familiarity with how Austin courts operate, how cases are scheduled, and what local judges find persuasive gives our clients useful context beyond general family law knowledge alone.
Emergency & Temporary Custody Orders in Austin
When a child faces immediate danger from abuse, neglect, family violence, or sudden abandonment, Texas courts may issue emergency protective orders or temporary restraining orders without advance notice to the other party. Travis County judges review these requests closely. While emergency relief can be granted ex parte, courts require a full hearing to follow, and the credibility and documentation behind the emergency claim receive careful scrutiny at that stage.
Temporary orders entered while a case is pending are equally significant. They set custody arrangements, possession schedules, and support obligations that govern daily life throughout the proceedings and often influence the shape of a final order. Thorough documentation of the circumstances prompting an emergency filing is critical to how a court evaluates the request. Our attorneys walk families through each stage of this process, explaining what evidence courts expect and what to anticipate at each hearing.
Navigating the Austin Family Court Process
Custody cases in Travis County move through a defined sequence: filing with the District Clerk’s Family Division, exchange of discovery, temporary orders hearings if needed, court-ordered mediation, and, if no agreement is reached, a final trial. Attorneys must e-file through an Electronic Filing Service Provider; self-represented parties may file by appointment or by mail. Understanding these procedural requirements from the outset can help avoid delays that affect interim custody arrangements.
Travis County courts often require mediation before scheduling a trial in contested cases, and many disputes resolve at that stage. When cases proceed to a contested hearing, Travis County Family Court Services may appoint a Guardian Ad Litem to represent the child’s interests. These professionals conduct home visits and interviews and report recommendations to the court; their fees are set on a sliding income scale ranging from $300 to $2,700 per side. Amanda Andrae’s membership in the Travis County Family Law Advocates reflects the kind of ongoing engagement with local court practice that can help clients move through each stage efficiently.
Interstate & Out-of-State Child Custody Issues
The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) governs which state’s court holds authority when a custody dispute crosses state lines. Under the Texas Family Code, courts generally treat the child’s home state as the state where the child has lived for at least six consecutive months immediately before the case is filed. When a parent relocates to or from Texas, or when custody orders from another state are already in place, coordinating between jurisdictions is necessary for both enforcement and any future modifications.
Texas custody orders frequently include geographic restrictions limiting where the primary conservator may relocate with the child. Lifting such a restriction requires demonstrating that the proposed move serves the child’s best interests, a standard Travis County courts apply carefully. Military families subject to deployment or transfer face additional procedural considerations on top of the standard UCCJEA framework. We assist clients navigating all of these circumstances, helping them understand what documentation Austin courts require and how multi-state coordination affects their rights and options.
Why Choose Andrae Law, PLLC?
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Committed to Giving BackOur firm is involved with giving back to the legal profession and the community.
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Board CertifiedAmanda Andrae is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
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Experienced AttorneysOur attorneys have over 40 years of combined legal experience.
Helping You Through a Range of Child Custody Matters
Our child custody lawyers handle custody proceedings for clients in Travis, Williamson, and surrounding counties throughout Central Texas, including matters involving:
- Primary Custody (Conservatorship) - Assisting with pursuing a suitable living arrangement for your children
- Paternity Issues - Establishing paternity and its implications for custody
- Visitation Rights - Negotiating and enforcing visitation agreements
- Temporary Custody & Visitation Orders - Arranging immediate care during pending cases
- Grandparents’ Custody & Visitation - Seeking rights for non-parental figures
- Custody issues for Same-Sex Couples - Addressing unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ parents
Primary conservatorship, the right to designate the child’s primary residence, is among the most consequential outcomes in any custody case and directly affects both day-to-day parenting and child support obligations. We also handle complex circumstances including emergency custody hearings, interstate disputes under the UCCJEA, military family deployments, and grandparent petitions under Texas law. Emergency filings require clear documentation and swift action, and we regularly help clients through these situations by reviewing paperwork, gathering critical evidence, and explaining what Travis County judges expect.
Find out how our child custody lawyers can help - call us at (512) 668-7133 or schedule your consultation online. We serve Williamson, Travis, and all surrounding counties in Austin, TX.
Understanding Child Custody Arrangements in Texas
Texas uses conservatorship terminology rather than the custody labels common in other states. Under the Texas Family Code, joint managing conservatorship (JMC) is the default presumption, but it doesn’t automatically mean equal parenting time. In a JMC, both parents share major rights and duties, while the court typically grants one parent the exclusive right to designate the child’s primary residence. That designation directly affects where the child attends school and how child support is calculated.
Sole managing conservatorship (SMC) grants one parent exclusive decision-making authority and is typically appropriate when the other parent has a documented history of family violence, substance misuse, neglect, or an inability to cooperate. A possessory conservator retains the right to spend time with the child according to a court-approved possession schedule but doesn’t hold primary decision-making authority.
Travis County courts apply the Texas Standard Possession Order (SPO) as a baseline framework that can be customized to fit a family’s specific circumstances. The SPO generally awards the primary conservator the majority of possession time and sets a defined schedule for the non-primary parent. Our team explains each arrangement in plain terms and helps clients understand how Travis County courts structure parenting plans based on the child’s needs and each parent’s circumstances.
Mediation in Austin Child Custody Cases
Travis County courts often require or encourage mediation before scheduling a trial in contested custody cases. Agreements reached through mediation can be incorporated into enforceable court orders, and judges view successful mediation as a demonstration of parental cooperation. For families with complex schedules, nontraditional work hours, or blended family dynamics, mediation allows parents to craft flexible parenting arrangements rather than leaving the outcome to a judge’s ruling.
Amanda Andrae is a certified mediator in civil and advanced family law matters, which means she brings mediator-level skill directly to her representation rather than simply referring clients to a third-party mediator. She also served as President of the Collaborative Law Group of Austin, reflecting deep engagement with alternative dispute resolution in the local family law community. Collaborative law is a structured alternative to litigation in which both parties and their attorneys commit to reaching an agreement outside of court; it shares the goal of reducing adversarial conflict while remaining distinct from mediation as a process.
Whether a case resolves through negotiation, mediation, collaborative process, or contested litigation, we adapt our approach to what the case and the family’s circumstances require. Our familiarity with mediation practice in Austin courts helps clients prepare effectively and work toward agreements that hold up under scrutiny.