At Hargrave Family Law, we help McKinney families find a peaceful path forward through divorce, child custody, child support, modifications, paternity, and property division with dignity, clarity, and a focus on long-term outcomes for your future.
As Collin County grew to 1,254,658 residents in 2024, family law issues have become increasingly common for McKinney-area families. Even in a town known for its hospitality and community spirit, broken families need help building a brighter future.
Sometimes it is a simple divorce with everyone focused on their next chapter. Intricate and challenging cases may involve business interests, executive compensation, real estate, investments, retirement accounts, legacy wealth, or complex questions about separate versus community property.
Since 2013, Hargrave Family Law has empowered clients to make informed decisions through collaborative, non-adversarial strategies that reduce unnecessary conflict. We know divorce is emotional journey that reshapes your family. And we’re here as your legal advocates to walk through it with you every step of the way.
Led by our Founder Jennifer Hargrave, our team includes lawyers and paralegals Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and team members recognized by Best Lawyers in America®, Texas SuperLawyers®, and Best Firms in America®.
Our experienced team provides strategic guidance, custom and creative solutions, resources and support, and steady legal advocacy throughout the process. Our goal is to empower you to make informed decisions that are best for your family and your future.
Our Family Law Services In McKinney
- Divorce
- Divorce for Men
- Divorce for Women
- Collaborative Divorce
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Cohabitation Agreements
- High Net Worth Divorce
- High Asset Divorce
- Business Owner Divorce
- Professional Practice Divorce
- Silver Divorce
- Gray Divorce
- Property Division
- Prenuptial Agreements
- Postnuptial Agreements
- Post-Divorce Modifications
- Mediation
WE WILL SPEAK FOR YOUR RIGHTS
Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your options. You may find that you are entitled to payment if your claim was denied or underpaid.
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Why Choose Hargrave Family Law
Collaborative, solution-focused strategy
When possible, our legal team uses non-adversarial and collaborative methods to reduce conflict and unnecessary damage to your family, protect your privacy, and keep the focus on practical solutions to build your next chapter with clarity.
Built for complicated and high-asset cases
Clients with businesses, professional partnerships, real estate, investments, structured executive compensation, or significant separate property needs benefit from thoughtful planning and careful attention to long-term outcomes under Texas family law.
Public figures benefit from the discreet, private process of collaborative divorce, keeping their family’s business out of the public eye.
Board-certified family law leadership
Board Certification in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is a credential many clients look for when the stakes are high and the legal issues are complex.
We have board-certified attorneys and paralegals highly experienced in fierce legal advocacy using Texas law to provide you with options and clear strategy that’s focused on your future.
Respected by peers and clients
Hargrave Family Law has earned recognition from their peers, including Best Lawyers in America®, Texas SuperLawyers®, AVVO ratings, and AV Preeminent® ratings, which reinforces the firm’s reputation for professionalism, ethics, and results. Our firm is highly respected, able to work with other attorneys to keep your case moving forward.
Support beyond the legal file
Our team does more than handle court deadlines and paperwork. Our clients value our steady communication, practical resources, and genuine support they receive during the case and after it ends. You are not walking this journey alone.
How Divorce Works in Texas for Families
In Texas, divorce begins with filing a Petition and generally includes a required 60-day waiting period before finalization. The overall timeline depends on conflict level, financial complexity, and whether the case involves business interests, executive compensation, investments, real estate, or separate property claims.
According to the Texas Judicial Branch, Texas saw 111,202 new divorce filings in fiscal year 2024, showing why preparation and strategy matter, especially in complex or high-asset cases.
Texas is a community property state, meaning income and property acquired during marriage are presumed to be community property and subject to a “just and right” division, though not always a 50/50 split.
For high-net-worth families, business owners, and those with complex assets, careful analysis is needed to identify community versus separate property, value assets accurately, trace premarital funds, evaluate retirement earnings, and address tax consequences.
Early strategy can shape the outcome. Temporary orders, privacy concerns, valuation issues, and the choice between litigation or a private collaborative process all matter. With the right legal guidance, McKinney families can protect their financial future while working toward a resolution that supports long-term family stability.
Understanding Child Custody and Child Support in Texas
In Texas, child custody is called conservatorship, and the court’s focus is always the child’s best interest. Judges look at factors like each parent’s involvement in the child’s life, the child’s unique needs, stability at both homes, and each parent’s ability to make sound decisions and coparent.
Many parents are named joint managing conservators, but that does not always mean equal parenting time or equal rights. A custody order can cover who makes major decisions (like medical treatment), who decides where the child lives, which school they attend, and when each parent has possession and access.
In many Texas cases, parents follow either a Standard Possession Order or an Expanded Possession Order, but you can create custom schedules that better fit with school attendance, your work schedule, or your child’s routine and extracurricular activities.
Child support is administered through the Texas Office of the Attorney General. Child support is usually based on Texas guideline calculations based on the paying spouse’s income and number of children, though some cases involve deviations, especially when income, medical needs, or parenting arrangements are more complex.
For high-asset families, families with legacy wealth and trusts, or any family that desires above-guideline child support, you can create a tailored child support arrangement that aligns with your family’s situation.
About Hargrave Family Law
Hargrave Family Law is a boutique family law firm serving clients in McKinney, across Collin County, and throughout the Dallas Metroplex since 2013.
Our firm is built for people who want to protect their family, finances, privacy, and future without turning divorce into an unnecessary war. We will encourage you to stay focused on the new life you want to build for your family, designing your next chapter with clarity.
What sets us apart is how we practice, emphasizing divorce without destruction. We utilize collaborative, non-adversarial strategies that empower you to make informed decisions, stay aligned with your core values, and move forward with hope and dignity.
Our team also stays connected with you beyond the legal paperwork, offering steady support and resources as you build your brighter future
Our Process For McKinney Families
- Initial contact
When you reach out, you will first speak with a Client Care Coordinator who helps get the conversation started.
- Intake and scheduling
Your Client Care Coordinator will gather the basic details and set up a complimentary case evaluation with our Client Intake Specialist.
- Case evaluation
You will meet remotely with the Client Intake Specialist to talk through your concerns, goals, and options. That may include doing nothing for now, continuing to work on the relationship or seeking counseling, retaining our firm, or scheduling time with an attorney.
- Attorney consultation if needed
If it makes sense for your situation, you can then have a paid consultation with an attorney to review those same options in more depth.
- Retaining the firm
If you decide to move forward, your legal team takes over your prenup matter. Our Client Care Coordinators also stay in touch monthly to check on you personally, offer support resources, and ask about your experience with our service.
- Ongoing connection
Even after your matter is complete, our Client Care Coordinators continue to check in once a year to provide support.
Frequently Asked Questions About Family Law
If my spouse is hiding money or moving assets around before divorce, what can I actually do in Texas before everything disappears?
Many Texas courts have Standing Orders that go into effect as soon as a divorce is filed that prohibit these actions. The court can also issue temporary restraining orders and temporary injunctions to stop your spouse from transferring, draining, or concealing marital property once a case is filed. You can also use formal discovery to request bank records, tax returns, business records, and other financial documents to trace transactions.
Is it true that Texas is a 50/50 divorce state, or can a judge divide property unevenly if one spouse earned all the finances?
Texas is a community property state, but that does not mean every case ends in a perfect 50/50 split. Courts look for a division that is “just and right,” which can mean unequal division depending on the facts. If one spouse wasted assets, hid income, or had much greater earning power, that may affect the outcome.
Can I keep my divorce out of court if I have kids and a lot of assets, or is litigation basically unavoidable in McKinneycases?
Litigation is not automatic, even in complex cases. Many families resolve divorce through negotiation, mediation, or collaborative divorce, which can be especially helpful when privacy, children, complex assets, and long-term financial planning all matter. In Collin County and surrounding counties, mediation is commonly used before a final trial setting.
My spouse is demanding full custody because I work long hours. Does that actually matter in Texas, especially if I have always been involved?
Working long hours does not automatically make you a “weaker” parent in Texas. Courts focus on the child’s best interest, including each parent’s involvement, stability in each home, decision-making that focuses on your child, and ability to meet your child’s needs. Many professionals, health-care workers, or first-responders have demanding schedules and still maintain strong possession and conservatorship rights.
If we were never legally married but have children together, do I still need a family law attorney to deal with custody and support?
Yes, it is very important to establish legal orders for conservatorship, possession, and child support for children of unmarried parents. If paternity has not been legally established, that issue may need to be addressed first.
Can text messages, emails, social media posts and AI prompts really be used in a Texas divorce, or is that mostly scare tactics?
Yes, they can absolutely be used if they are relevant and properly obtained. Messages, posts, and search queries often show frivolous spending, threats, alienation tactics, coparenting issues, affairs, substance abuse, or attempts to hide assets.
Areas We Serve Across McKinney
- Downtown McKinney
- Historic District
- Adriatica Village
- Stonebridge Ranch
- Craig Ranch
- Trinity Falls
- Tucker Hill
- Eldorado
- Westridge
- Virginia Hills
- Hardin Lake
- Erwin Farms
- Auburn Hills
- Heatherwood
- Prestwyck
- Mallard Lakes
- Isleworth
- McKinney Greens
- Painted Tree
- Wilmeth Ridge
Local Resources in Texas for Family Law
- Collin County District Courts
- Collin County Courthouse
- Collin County Clerk
- Collin County District Clerk
- Collin County Law Library
- Collin County Child Support Office
- Collin County Domestic Relations Office
- Collin County Child Protective Services
- Collin County Sheriff’s Office Civil Process
- Collin County Protective Order Office
- McKinney Municipal Court
- McKinney Police Department
- Collin County Mediation Services
- Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
- State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral & Information Service
- Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support
- The Family Place
- Hope’s Door New Beginning Center
Schedule a Confidential Case Evaluation
If you are facing divorce, custody, or another family law matter in McKinney, Collin County, or the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, reach out to us to gain clarity about your options.
Hargrave Family Law offers confidential case evaluations designed to help you understand what comes next and whether our collaborative, resolution-focused approach fits your goals.
To speak with our skilled team, reach out to us today. We’re here to help.
