Arlington Divorce Attorney
By Jill Coil, Founder and Family Law Attorney, State Bar of Texas
Quick answer: Arlington is in Tarrant County, so an Arlington divorce is heard at the Tarrant County Family Law Center, 200 East Weatherford Street in Fort Worth. One spouse must have lived in Texas for six months and in Tarrant County for 90 days before filing, and Texas requires 60 days between filing and the earliest date a decree can be signed.
Arlington is the largest city in Tarrant County, and an Arlington divorce attorney sees a broader mix of cases here than in the surrounding suburbs: hourly and shift work alongside professional households, and a city that spans three separate school districts. Both facts change how orders should be drafted. CoilLaw represents Arlington families in divorce, custody, support and property division under the Texas Family Code.
Filing an Arlington Divorce
One spouse must have lived in Texas for six months and in Tarrant County for 90 days before the petition is filed. The case then goes to the Family Law Center in Fort Worth and is assigned to one of the family district courts. Sixty days must pass from filing before a judge can sign a decree, and that period is waived only in narrow circumstances involving family violence.
An agreed Arlington case can be finished shortly after the 60 days. A contested one usually runs six months to a year, driven by mediation, by how quickly financial disclosure is completed, and by the assigned court’s calendar.
What Arlington Cases Usually Involve
Income is often the central question rather than assets. Where a parent works overtime, holds a second job or earns a shift differential, those amounts are generally part of net resources for child support, and support set on base pay alone is set too low. The opposite problem is just as common: support calculated during an unusually heavy overtime year and then left in place after the hours dry up. Both are fixable, but it is cheaper to get the figure right the first time than to file a modification later.
Schedules are the second recurring issue. Arlington has a large share of households working rotating shifts at the assembly plant, in healthcare, and in police, fire and stadium operations. A possession order copied from the standard form fails almost immediately against a rotating roster. Building the schedule from the rotation itself, and writing in what happens when a shift takes a period away, produces an order that both parents can actually follow.
Because Arlington is divided between Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, geographic restrictions deserve more thought here than in a single-district city. A restriction written to the county allows a parent to move across town and change the children’s schools without breaching the order.
How We Help Arlington Families
CoilLaw appears regularly at the Family Law Center and across the Metroplex. Our Tarrant County divorce lawyer page explains how the local courts operate, and our Dallas–Fort Worth divorce lawyer page sets out the wider practice. Where a business or a substantial estate is involved, see our Dallas high-net-worth divorce practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is an Arlington divorce heard?
At the Tarrant County Family Law Center, 200 East Weatherford Street in Fort Worth. Tarrant County concentrates its family courts in that one building, which is a practical advantage: hearings, filings and the court’s self-help resources are all in the same place rather than spread around the county.
Which school district are my children in?
It depends on where in Arlington you live. Unlike most Texas cities, Arlington is split between Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. That makes the wording of a geographic restriction unusually important here, because a restriction written as “Tarrant County” permits a move that changes the children’s district, while one written to a named ISD does not.
I work rotating shifts. Will the possession schedule work?
Not if it is copied from the standard form. The Texas Standard Possession Order assumes weekday evenings and alternating weekends against a predictable work week, which does not describe a rotating plant, hospital or public-safety schedule. Texas allows parents to agree to a different arrangement, and an order built from the published rotation with defined make-up time is far more durable.
How is child support calculated?
Texas applies guideline percentages to the paying parent’s monthly net resources, starting at 20 percent for one child and rising with the number of children, subject to a statutory cap on the amount of net resources the guideline applies to. Overtime, bonuses and second jobs generally count as resources under Chapter 154 of the Texas Family Code, which matters in a city with as much shift and overtime work as Arlington.
Is our property divided equally?
Not automatically. Texas is a community property state, so property acquired during the marriage is presumed community, but the court divides the community estate in a way that is “just and right”, which can be unequal. Property owned before the marriage, or received by gift or inheritance, is separate and is not divided, though it has to be traced with documents to stay that way.
Can we settle without going to trial?
Most Arlington cases do. Tarrant County family courts expect the parties to attempt mediation, and a mediated settlement agreement that meets the statutory requirements is binding and not subject to revocation, which means a judgment can be entered on it. Very few family cases in Tarrant County are actually tried to a judge.
Nearby Areas We Serve
We also represent clients in Fort Worth, Mansfield and Grand Prairie, and throughout Tarrant County.
Talk to a Arlington Divorce Attorney Today
Call CoilLaw at 469-552-5992 or request a consultation online. We represent Arlington clients throughout Tarrant County and the wider Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.
This page is general information about Texas family law and is not legal advice. Every case is different. For advice about your specific situation, speak with a licensed Texas attorney.
