Travis County, TX · Free Consultation
Northwest Hills, TX Contested Divorce Lawyer
What Our Clients Say
Texas divides only what the marriage created, so a key question in many divorces is what counts as separate property. SMB Law, PC helps Northwest Hills spouses protect what is truly theirs. A Northwest Hills contested divorce lawyer knows tracing separate property is what keeps a court from dividing what was always yours. Shane M. Boasberg has handled Central Texas divorces for more than twenty years and personally protects your separate estate.
Northwest Hills spouses often bring premarital assets, inheritances, or family gifts into a marriage, and keeping those out of the divisible estate takes proof, not just assertion.
Where a Northwest Hills contested divorce is filed
Northwest Hills is in Travis County, so a contested divorce is filed with the Travis County District Clerk at the Civil and Family Courthouse on Guadalupe Street in Austin. Many issues are resolved before trial.
Separate property, characterization, and tracing
Texas divides only community property, so a threshold fight in many contested divorces is whether an asset is community or separate. Separate property — what a spouse owned before marriage, or received during the marriage by gift or inheritance — stays with that spouse and is not divided. But everything a couple owns at divorce is presumed community, so a spouse claiming an asset is separate must prove it by clear and convincing evidence, often through tracing: following the money from its separate origin to its current form. Tracing gets complicated when separate funds are commingled with community money in a shared account, or when a separate asset grows in value or produces income during the marriage. Done well, tracing can protect a premarital account, an inheritance, or a family gift from being split; done poorly, or not at all, that property can be swept into the community estate and divided. We help Northwest Hills spouses build the documentation and tracing needed to establish what is genuinely separate.
Proving what is separate
Because Texas presumes everything is community, protecting a separate asset in a Northwest Hills divorce is an evidence project. We gather the records that establish an asset’s separate origin — account statements predating the marriage, inheritance and gift documentation, closing papers on a premarital home — and, where separate funds were deposited into joint accounts, we perform the tracing that follows those dollars to what they became. The clear-and-convincing standard is demanding, so organization matters: a well-documented tracing can keep an inheritance or premarital savings entirely out of the divisible estate, while gaps in the record can cost a spouse that protection. Establishing characterization early also shapes the rest of the negotiation over the community estate.
Experienced advocacy when a divorce turns adversarial
A contested divorce is one of the hardest things a person goes through, and it rewards a steady, experienced hand. You work directly with attorney Shane M. Boasberg, who has represented Texans for more than two decades and has been licensed by the State of Texas since 2003. He fights for what matters to you while keeping the case focused and moving, explains every step in plain English, and keeps you informed from your first confidential consultation through the final decree.
Working with us from Northwest Hills
Our office is in downtown Austin, an easy reach from Northwest Hills. We handle most consultations and case updates by phone and video, and your first consultation is confidential. If travel is difficult, we can also come to you.
Why clients choose SMB Law, PC
- Direct attorney access — you talk to Shane, licensed since 2003, not a call center.
- A clear strategy — we fight where it counts and settle where it makes sense.
- Honest advice and transparent fees explained before you commit.
What working with us looks like
- Confidential consultation to understand your goals and the law that applies.
- Strategy and records tailored to your situation.
- Negotiation or court — we settle when we can and litigate when we must.
- Final decree entered correctly so you can move forward.
Frequently asked questions
Is my inheritance protected in a Texas divorce?
Generally yes — inheritance is separate property — but you must be able to prove it is separate and trace it if it was mixed with marital funds.
What counts as separate property?
Assets owned before marriage and anything received during marriage by gift or inheritance, provided it can be proven separate.
What if separate and marital money got mixed together?
That is commingling, and it takes tracing — following the funds from their separate source — to preserve the separate-property claim.
Do I have to travel to your office from Northwest Hills?
No. Our downtown Austin office is about 9 miles south via Loop 360 and Mopac, and we handle Northwest Hills divorces by phone and video.