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Part 4 of the Tarrant County Local Rules, effective June 1, 2023 and approved by Judges James Munford (322nd) and Kenneth Newell (233rd), governs the family district courts: pretrial conferences with lead counsel and in-person self-represented litigants (4.01(1)); three days' notice for temporary relief and no modification hearing before the answer deadline absent an affidavit (4.01(3)); Rule 21d notice content (4.01(4)); medical/dental support orders and income-withholding writs with every child-support order (4.01(6)–(7)); transfer and consolidation in the earliest-filed case and protective-order transfers (4.01(8)); a mandatory certificate of conference before any setting, two-business-day date-coordination attempts and immediate written notice of settings (4.01(10)); ex parte presentment order (CPS associate judges first in Chapter 262 cases; otherwise the assigned district judge, then that court's associate judge) with a signed certification (4.01(11)); amicus/ad litem copies within five days (4.01(12)); vacation letters 30 days ahead with a 10/22-business-day cap (4.01(14)); decorum and device rules (4.01(15)); daily first-come prove-ups and a no-judge-shopping rule (4.02); trial settings and associate-judge final trials by written waiver (4.03); a 15-minute appearance window, financial documents seven days before hearings and mediation, inventories within 120 days, orders within 60 days of rendition, and court reporters for associate judges only on enforcement days (4.05); continuances (4.06); deposition and production guidelines incl. drop-box certificates of written discovery (4.07); custody-evaluation confidentiality with a seven-day presumption and 30-day pre-trial distribution (4.08); and a ban on filing judges' or attorneys' personal contact information (4.09).
Texas > Tarrant County > the Family District Courts (231st, 233rd, 322nd, 324th, 325th and 360th District Courts and their associate judges) — every family-law case; self-represented litigants are bound equally (Rule 4.01(16)).
[File stamp: FILED, TARRANT COUNTY, 23 MAY -2 PM 4:15, THOMAS A. WILDER, DISTRICT CLERK] Part 4. Rules for Disposition of Family Law Cases Rule 4.01: General Disposition Rules 1. Pretrial Conference Each Court may establish its own pretrial procedures pursuant to Rule 166, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. A Pretrial Conference may be set on the Court’s own motion or proper request of a party. If a Pretrial Conference is set, counsel and self-represented litigants will be expected at Pretrial Conference to advise the Court which issues will be disputed and the time required for trial. Counsel attending the Pretrial Conference shall be the lead attorney or shall be familiar with the case and the party’s position on the law and facts and authorized to make stipulations of fact. Counsel shall not send a non-attorney to a Pretrial Conference hearing. Self-represented litigants must attend the Pretrial Conference in person. When counsel or a self-represented litigant, after notice, fails to appear at Pretrial Conference, the Court may: a. Advance or delay the trial setting according to the convenience of persons present; b. Pass and reset the Pretrial Conference; c. Decline to set the case for trial or cancel a pending setting; d. Grant sanctions or other relief; e. Default or Dismiss for Want of Prosecution if requisite notice is on Notice of Pretrial Conference. 2. Stipulations It is the responsibility of each attorney to stipulate to all accurate facts not in dispute, and to waive formal proof as to any document to be introduced about which there is no reasonable dispute as to authenticity. 3. Notice Unless otherwise ordered, all notice provisions and time periods provided by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Family Code, Government Code, and any other applicable statute shall be followed. Unless specifically shortened by the Court, and except when a party’s motion makes the allegations contained in and otherwise complies with Section 156.006 of the Texas Family Code, a party responding to a request for temporary relief contained in an original action shall be entitled to at least three (3) days’ notice of any court proceeding. With the exception of a court proceeding on a request by a party for a temporary injunction enjoining a party from the acts identified in section 105.001(a)(3) or (4), no court proceeding for relief, temporary or final, shall be conducted prior to the deadline for a party to file an answer in any Motion to Modify child support and/or possession of or access to the child, unless special circumstances set forth by attached affidavit exist. 4. Compliance with Texas Rules of Civil Procedure 21d Each notice of a court proceeding must include the information necessary for parties, attorneys, witnesses, the court reporter, and jurors, as applicable (the “participants”) to participate in the court proceeding. That information must include, but is not limited to the following: a. The location of the court proceeding or instructions for joining electronically (and it shall be the responsibility of the attorney for the moving party to obtain such information from the Court’s coordinator); b. Each Court may publish its designated contact information on the Court’s website; c. The following instructions for submitting evidence: “Each party to this action hereby is notified that evidence shall be submitted to the Court in accordance with the Texas Rules of Evidence and in accordance with each Court’s published procedure.” 5. Announcement of Time When requested by the Court, it is the responsibility of each attorney to provide the Court with a reasonably accurate estimate of the time required for the Court to hear a matter. The Court may impose a reasonable time limitation upon counsel and self-represented litigants to present their cases, within the confines of due process. 6. Medical Support Order Every final order submitted to the Court for approval that contains provisions for child support shall be accompanied by a Medical Support Order and Dental Support Order in conformity with the requirements of 154.181 of the Texas Family Code. 7. Income Withholding Except as ordered by the Court or agreed by the parties, every final order submitted to the Court for approval that contains provisions for child support shall be accompanied by an order or writ for income withholding in accordance with Chapter 158 of the Texas Family Code and a completed Tarrant County Child Support Office Record of Support Form. 8. Motion to Transfer, Consolidate, or for Joint Hearing a. Every motion to transfer, for consolidation, or for joint hearing of two or more cases under Rule 174(a), Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, shall be filed in the earliest filed case. b. Each such motion shall have the cause number and style of each applicable case. c. If granted, the transferee Tarrant County Family District Court shall enter an order consolidating all other actions into the earliest filed case, except in situations where a suit affecting parent-child relationship is pending and a subsequent divorce is filed, in which case the transfer or consolidation shall be done pursuant to the Texas Family Code. d. This section is subject to Section 262.203 of the Texas Family Code as it relates to cases that are subject to Chapter 262 of the Texas Family Code. e. Pursuant to subchapter D of Chapter 85 of the Texas Family Code, if an Application for a Protective Order is filed regarding the parties to a Divorce and/or a child the subject of a Divorce or Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship that is currently pending and/or has been finalized in Tarrant County, the Protective Order proceeding shall be transferred to the court where the Divorce or Suit Affecting the Parent-Child relationship is pending, but may continue to be in a separate cause of action. TRCP 330(e). Additionally, if a Divorce proceeding or Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship is filed after an Application for Protective Order is filed, but prior to a rendition of final Protective Order, the Protective Order proceeding should be transferred to the Court in which the Divorce or Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship is pending. All parties and/or attorneys shall have a duty to the Court to advise the Court of ANY other currently pending proceeding involving any of the parties and/or children who may be the subject of these proceedings. 9. Refiling after Dismissal If any action is dismissed or nonsuited by any party, and such action is refiled within ninety (90) days and assigned to a different court, either party or the Court may move to transfer the case to the court in which the first suit was filed within the time limits provided by Section 155.204 of the Texas Family Code. Absent good cause shown, transfer shall be granted upon notice and hearing. 10. Motion Practice a. Parties are directed to use all reasonable means to resolve pretrial disputes to avoid the necessity of judicial intervention. b. No attorney or self-represented litigant may seek to have a court proceeding set unless the moving party shall have certified in such motion or in a letter substantially the following: “A conference was held on (date) with (self-represented litigant or name of attorney for opposing party) on the merits of this motion. A reasonable effort has been made to resolve the dispute without the necessity of court intervention and the effort failed. Therefore, it is presented to the Court for determination.” OR “A conference was not held with (name of opposing attorney or self-represented litigant) on the merits of this motion because (explanation of inability to confer).” c. An attorney or self-represented litigant who seeks to have a court proceeding set without the required certificate of conference may be subject to sanctions by the Court. d. Court coordinators are responsible for scheduling the dates and times for court proceedings. The moving party shall make a reasonable attempt in writing to secure agreed-upon dates for hearings prior to setting the same. If the opposing counsel or self-represented litigant does not respond within two business days, the moving party may schedule the court proceeding without regard to the opposing counsel or self-represented litigant’s availability. The Court may impose sanctions upon the moving party and/or the moving party’s attorney for failure to make such an attempt. Upon receiving confirmation of the date and time of the court proceeding from the Court, the moving party shall immediately notify all other parties in writing as to the date, time, modality, and subject matter of the court proceeding, consistent with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. e. On written motion of a party and with consent of the judge, a court proceeding may be conducted by videoconference, teleconference, or other electronic means. The moving party shall be responsible for providing notice of the court proceeding in accordance with Texas Rules of Civil Procedure 21d and these Rules. 11. Ex Parte Orders a. In all cases where there is a pending CPS court case under Chapter 262 of the Texas Family Code, all attorneys and self-represented litigants shall first attempt to present applications for ex parte orders regarding the children to the associate judges of the Child Protection Courts. b. Except as provided by these local rules, all attorneys and self-represented litigants shall first attempt to present applications for ex parte orders in non-CPS court cases to the district judge of the court in which the case is pending to promptly review same, second to the associate judge of such court (as permitted by 201.005, 201.007, and 201.104 of the Texas Family Code), and only if both such judges are unavailable, the applications may it be presented to another Court. c. Attorneys and self-represented litigants may present ex parte temporary restraining orders that contain the prohibitions contained in 6.501 or 105.001(3), (4) to any associate judge or district judge. d. If an Ex Parte Protective Order and/or a Temporary Restraining Order requesting extraordinary relief is presented to a Court, an attorney with knowledge of the case and/or the self-represented litigant requesting relief must present the Protective Order and/or Temporary Restraining Order to the judge. This includes but is not limited to relief requested under Section 105.001(c) of the Texas Family Code. e. All applications for ex parte orders shall certify in writing, signed by the party or attorney, one of the following, which is to be completed as to each opposing counsel: To the best of my knowledge, there is not a pending CPS court case under Chapter 262 of the Texas Family Code – OR -- There is a pending CPS court case under Chapter 262 of the Texas Family Code under [Cause No.] [court number] [name of county]. AND I hereby certify as follows: (check off and fill in blanks as required) To the best of my knowledge, there is no attorney of record representing any opposing party at this time and, to the best of my knowledge, the self-represented litigant has not filed a document with the Court identifying the opposing party’s contact information. If an attorney and/or self-represented litigant has filed a document with the Court identifying that person’s contact information, I have presented a copy of the motion and proposed order to that person and notified him/her of my intent to present this matter to the Court at a specific time on a specific date. OR Prior to presenting this matter to a judge for approval, I contacted all attorneys of record, all self-represented litigants, transmitted a copy of the pleadings and proposed order in this matter, and notified them that I was requesting such ex parte relief, and; i. After conferring, no attorney of record wishes to be heard prior to presentment of this request for ex parte relief; or, ii. We were unable to reach an agreement, at which time I notified all attorneys of record that I would present this matter to the judge at [time] on [date] in the [court] and invited them to attend and be heard prior to signing; or, iii. I was unable to speak with the opposing attorney(s) and I left word with a staff person for each attorney that I would present this matter to the judge at [time] on [date] in the [court] and invited them to attend and be heard prior to signing; or, iv. After diligent attempts, I was unable to reach the opposing attorney(s). For purposes of this rule, representation of counsel ends thirty-one (31) days following entry of a final order. 12. Amicus/Ad Litem Entitled to All Pleadings When the Court appoints an amicus attorney, ad litem, or an attorney serving in a dual role, all counsel shall provide such appointee with copies of their pleadings, motions, orders, reports, and evaluations on file with the Court within five days (5) of notice of the appointment. Attorneys and self-represented litigants shall timely provide amicus/ad litem attorneys with a copy of all pleadings, motions, and notices of court proceedings. 13. Lawyer’s Creed Counsel and parties shall treat the Court, court personnel, each other, and trial participants in a manner consistent with the Texas Lawyer’s Creed. 14. Vacation Letters Each attorney in charge shall have the right to designate a reasonable number of vacation days and days of continuing legal education, provided he notifies the auxiliary coordinator of the courts in writing at least 30 days prior to such designated dates and provided said dates do not conflict with a current setting for trial, hearing, deposition, inspection, mediation, discovery deadline, or other court proceeding in the case. During the dates designated in said letter, opposing counsel and parties shall not set any matter for deposition, inspection, mediation, hearing, or other court proceeding except for emergency situations requiring immediate action. If a matter is set during the dates designated in said letter, the Court may cancel the setting and/or reschedule it upon oral or written motion of a party or the Court’s own motion. Absent good cause shown, if an attorney is going to be unavailable for more than 10 consecutive business days and/or more than 22 business days per calendar year, the attorney must provide alternative counsel to cover for days in excess of those days and is not excused from hearings. 15. Proper Courtroom Decorum a. All attorneys shall be responsible for advising their clients and witnesses of appropriate courtroom conduct, attire, and policy regarding children. b. Unless granted leave of court, each person shall power off all telephones and other electronic devices when in the courtroom. Failure to follow this rule may result in a finding of contempt, fine, or other sanction. c. Absent medical necessity or religious belief, the following shall not be acceptable in the courtroom: sunglasses, hats, bandanas, shorts, bare midriffs, tank tops, tattered or dirty clothing. d. There will be no eating, drinking, or chewing gum in the courtroom unless the Court has expressly stated otherwise. e. There will be no outbursts, disturbances, threats, obscene language, or gestures. f. Violation of the courtroom decorum may result in immediate expulsion of the person who is violating the same or a finding of contempt, fine, or other sanction. 16. Self-Represented Litigants Rules for attorneys apply equally to self-represented litigants. Self-represented litigants are required to provide addresses, telephone listings, and email at which they can be reached by court personnel and opposing counsel. Failure to accept delivery or to pick up mail addressed to the address provided by self-represented litigants will be considered constructive receipt of the mail or delivered document which may be established by postal service receipt, certified or registered mail receipt, or comparable proof of delivery. Emails are presumed to have been received by the recipient. Rule 4.02: Prove-Ups and Default Hearings 1. Times Each Court shall hear agreed cases and brief defaults daily, at times set by each Court. It may not be necessary to schedule agreed prove-ups and brief default hearings with the Court, and such are heard on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exception that the Court may first hear cases in which a party is appearing with counsel in order to minimize attorney’s fees. A Court may cancel its daily uncontested hearings or other court proceedings as may be required by other Court business. Agreed prove-ups and defaults may be heard at other times during the day if the Court is available. 2. Presiding Judge All attorneys and self-represented litigants shall first attempt to present agreed final orders to the Court in which the case is pending to promptly review same, and only if such Court is unavailable, may it be presented to another Court. All attorneys and self-represented litigants shall first present orders to the Court in which the case is pending to promptly review same, and only if such Court is unavailable, may it be presented to another Court. 3. Once a motion, request, or application has been presented to a judge and that judge has made a ruling denying all or any portion of the request for relief or otherwise deferred all or a portion of a ruling, the same motion, request, or application may not be presented to a judge other than the judge who denied all or any portion of the request for relief or otherwise deferred all or a portion of a ruling without the approval of the judge that denied the motion, request, or application. 4. Record If an attorney or self-represented litigant requests a record of testimony or if the Court requires a record of testimony, the attorney or self-represented litigant shall so notify the bailiff, or other person designated by the Court, and the attorney or self-represented litigant shall complete any additional forms as may be required by the Court to be delivered to the court reporter prior to appearance before the Court. Rule 4.03: Trial Settings 1. Final Trial Cases will be set for final trial upon written request using the procedure and form as may be required by the specific Court. An attorney or self-represented litigant shall follow the Court’s procedure for requesting a final setting and shall obtain any required forms from the Court’s coordinator. 2. Final Trial Before Associate Judges Upon agreement of the parties and counsel of record, the Court may refer a case for final disposition by the associate judge of that court if the parties agree in writing to waive their right of appeal to the referring court pursuant to 201.015 and 201.1042 of the Texas Family Code. This provision does not alter the requirements of Section 201.005(c) of the Texas Family Code. [The file has no Rule 4.04; the next rule is 4.05.] Rule 4.05: Trial Procedures 1. Time Appearance It is the responsibility of every attorney to timely appear before the judge or associate judge, as appropriate, at the time of any trial or court proceeding. Unless otherwise directed by the Court, counsel shall check in with the Court or its bailiff at or before the time the trial or court proceeding is set. If counsel is to be late for a trial or court proceeding or is in another court, counsel or counsel’s staff shall, by telephone or otherwise, notify the Court or its bailiff, giving the reason for the delay in appearance and specify which other court(s) counsel is appearing before. Failure to appear or check in with the associate judge or Court within 15 minutes after the scheduled court proceeding time may result in a default being granted or the court proceeding being passed, as appropriate. Although it is the policy of the Courts to recognize the inevitable conflicts in an urban law practice and to be reasonably flexible, it is ultimately the responsibility of counsel to keep the Court accurately informed of counsel’s whereabouts so that the Court’s dockets will not be unduly disrupted. Violation of this rule may result in sanctions against counsel. It is the responsibility of every attorney to be respectful of opposing counsel’s, the parties’, and the Court’s time, as well as the parties’ resources. Therefore, the Court may consider awarding attorney’s fees or sanctions as a result of an attorney’s unavailability at the time of a court proceeding due to multiple settings at the same time. 2. Documents Required a. Except as otherwise stated in a pretrial order or upon other order of the Court or a showing of good cause, and in all cases in which support of a spouse and/or child(ren) is in issue, each party shall provide the following documents to the Court and opposing counsel or self-represented litigants at the time of the temporary hearing or other court proceeding (other than final trial) and not later than seven (7) days prior to trial: i. A concise written summary of the relief requested by the party. ii. A written summary of monthly income and expenses in a form substantially similar to any form that may be adopted by the Court. iii. All payroll stubs or wage statements for the past three (3) months. iv. If self-employed, all profit and loss statements, balance sheets, income statements, personal and business bank account statements, credit card statements, and all other evidence of earnings for the previous 12 months. Failure to provide these documents may result in a presumption that the self-employed person earns sufficient income to pay the maximum amount of child support and spousal support/maintenance as provided by the guidelines set forth in the Texas Family Code. v. Federal income tax returns, including all attachments and schedules, for the two years immediately prior to the court proceeding, or if a return has not been prepared and filed for a particular year, all W-2s, 1099s, K-1s or other evidence of income for such a year. vi. Financial statements filed by the parties with any financial institution within the past two (2) years. vii. Any other documents as ordered by the Court. b. Except upon order of the Court or a showing of good cause, and in all cases in which support of a spouse and/or child(ren) is in issue, each party shall provide to opposing counsel the documents identified in Rule 4.05(2)(a)(iii)-(vii) not later than seven (7) days prior to mediation. 3. Except upon order of the Court or a showing of good cause, and in all cases involving the characterization, value, or division of property, each party shall provide to the Court and opposing counsel the following documents at the time of the temporary hearing, final trial, or other court proceeding: a. A concise written summary of the relief requested; and b. In a final trial, the party’s inventory and appraisement and proposed division of property and debts. 4. Inventories Except as ordered by the Court or agreed to by the parties in all cases involving the characterization, value, or division of property, each party shall, not later than 120 days after the filing of the first answer or general appearance, prepare and exchange with the opposing party a sworn inventory and appraisement in a form substantially similar to the form provided in the Texas Family Practice Manual of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Such sworn inventory and appraisement shall be accompanied by documents supporting the existence and value/balance of each asset and liability identified. 5. Orders Within 60 days after rendition of a decision by the judge or associate judge, counsel shall, unless ordered otherwise, cause all orders, decrees, or judgments of any kind to be reduced to writing and delivered to the Court for signature. It is the duty of all attorneys to approve orders as to form if the order comports with the judgment rendered by the Court. If counsel is unable to secure the approval as to form from opposing counsel, counsel shall file a motion for entry of the proposed order and secure a hearing on same no sooner than 10 days from the date of filing of the motion. The party or counsel responding to such a motion shall, at least three (3) days prior to the court proceeding, present to opposing counsel an alternative proposed order or a written list of objections to the first order. Failure to furnish the Court with a proposed order, decree, or judgment or to schedule a hearing for entry within the 60-day period may result in the Court’s placing the case on the dismissal docket. 6. Court Reporters A court reporter will be furnished to the associate judges for hearings only on the days that enforcement or contempt matters are to be heard, unless special arrangements are made with the referring judge. Counsel shall be required to furnish his or her own court reporter if desired for all other hearings before the associate judge. Rule 4.06: Continuances and Resets 1. All Court Proceedings Other than Final Trials Unless otherwise directed by the Court, and subject to Chapter 262 of the Texas Family Code, agreed motions for continuances and resets of any court proceeding other than a final trial may be presented to the associate judge without the necessity of a written motion being filed. Any motions for continuance and resets of any court proceeding involving a case set in the Child Protection Associate Court shall be presented to the Associate Judge of the Child Protection Court in which the proceeding is set. 2. Final Trials Except by written agreement of the parties, the Court shall not grant a request for a continuance or reset of a final trial without the filing of a written motion, notice, and court proceeding pursuant to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Rule 4.07: Discovery Guidelines 1. Depositions The following guidelines will generally be followed by the Courts on matters pertaining to oral depositions: a. Parties must give their depositions in Tarrant County, if requested by another party. b. Unless agreed otherwise, fees charged by a custody evaluator, court-appointed expert, or other court-appointed service provider for giving deposition testimony shall be paid by the party requesting the deposition unless such person is retained by the party not requesting the deposition, in which case fees shall be paid pursuant to 195.7 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. c. With regard to depositions, the following shall be presumed to be unreasonable unless otherwise agreed or ordered: i. Notice of less than 10 days under Rules 21a and 199.2, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. ii. Depositions scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, or legal holidays on which the Tarrant County Family Law Center is closed. iii. Depositions scheduled to begin before 8:00 a.m. or to extend past 6:00 p.m. d. A party initiating an oral deposition shall first attempt to communicate with all opposing counsel to determine whether an agreement can be reached as to the date, time, and place of the deposition, as well as the materials to be furnished at the time of deposition. Any written notice of oral deposition shall state substantially as follows: “A conference was held or attempted with the attorney for opposing party to agree on a date, time, place, and materials to be furnished. Agreement could not be reached, or counsel will not respond, and the deposition is therefore being taken pursuant to this Notice: OR “Agreement was reached and this Notice complies with the agreement.” Failure to hold such conference or to make adequate attempt to hold such conference prior to noticing a deposition shall be grounds to quash the deposition. Notwithstanding the above guidelines, the parties may agree to a different procedure, and nothing shall preclude a party from submitting disputes as to such matters to the Court for determination by proper motion and court proceeding pursuant to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. 2. Production a. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court or agreed by the parties, the following times, locations, and means for production shall be presumed to be reasonable: i. For non-voluminous production, which shall be defined as production of less than 3,000 printed pages of documents, it will be presumed reasonable if the producing party either delivers copies of the documents to the office of counsel for the requesting party or to the attorney for the requesting party via secure electronic means in accordance with the request. ii. For voluminous production, it shall be presumed reasonable if counsel for the party from whom the production is requested shall deliver copies of the documents via secure electronic means or flash drive in accordance with the request OR iii. If the producing party has a business office (not a home office) in Tarrant County, Texas, then it is presumed reasonable for the producing party to opt to gather the voluminous paper documents in his or her office and inform the requesting counsel that the documents are available and the requesting party’s counsel may examine and copy the documents, at the expense of the requesting party. If the producing party does not have a business office (not a home office) in Tarrant County, it is not presumed reasonable to produce in this manner. iv. If a drop box or secured link is utilized, the responding party shall update their response specifying the new documents that have been uploaded and the requests to which they are responsive. b. All documents produced in response to a discovery request or as part of required disclosures, including supplements, shall be organized, indexed, and identified in a manner such that the recipient party may identify the response to which the documents are being produced. Documents should be Bates stamped if possible. c. If discovery is produced using a drop box and/or link, that drop box and/or link must do the following: (1) File a certificate of written discovery, complying with subparagraph b. above; and (2) Ensure that the documents are available from the date it is produced until plenary power expires in the case. Rule 4.08: Custody Evaluations The following rules shall apply to all custody evaluations: 1. Custody evaluations should not be filed with the clerk. In the event a custody evaluation is filed with the clerk, the Court shall immediately seal from view to the public all custody evaluations filed in a case. 2. Except for the legitimate purposes of litigation, neither the attorneys nor parties may disclose the contents of a custody evaluation to any third party without a specific order of the Court. For purposes of this subsection, “third party” shall include but is not limited to, the children the subject of the suit, friends, family, schools, educators, doctors, medical health providers, and mental health providers. 3. The Court shall presume seven (7) days shall constitute a “reasonable time” for purposes of Section 107.112(c) of the Texas Family Code. 4. Full copies of the custody evaluation shall be given to all attorneys of record and each self-represented litigant no less than 30 days before trial. Rule 4.09 Pleadings Containing Judge’s or Attorney’s Personal Contact Information Unless otherwise mandated by law, parties and attorneys may not file any motion or pleading that contains the personal telephone number or home address of any attorney, judge, or other elected official. The clerk of the Court shall immediately seal from view to the public all documents containing the personal telephone number or home address of any attorney, judge, or other elected official. This rule shall not apply to information of an attorney identified as the professional contact information in a document filed by that attorney with the Court. A party or attorney that knowingly violates this rule shall be subject to sanctions. The prior Tarrant County Family Law local rules are revoked as of the effective date of these rules. These rules are effective beginning June 1, 2023. Approved: [signature] Judge Jesse Nevarez, 231st District Court, Date: [handwritten: May 2, 2023] [signature] Judge Kenneth Newell, 233rd District Court, Date: [handwritten: May 1, 2023] [signature] Judge James Munford, 322nd District Court, Date: [handwritten: May 1, 2023] [signature] Judge Beth Poulos, 324th District Court, Date: [handwritten: May 2, 2023] [signature] Judge Cynthia Terry, 325th District Court, Date: [handwritten: May 2, 2023] [signature] Judge Patricia Baca Bennett, 360th District Court, Date: [handwritten: May 1, 2023] [Footer on each page: Tarrant County Family Law Local Rules, Page N of 16]
[File stamp: FILED, TARRANT COUNTY, 23 MAY -2 PM 4:15, THOMAS A. WILDER, DISTRICT CLERK] Part 4. Rules for Disposition of Family Law Cases Rule 4.01: General Disposition Rules 1. Pretrial Conference Each Court may establish its own pretrial procedures pursuant to Rule 166, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. A Pretrial Conference may be set on the Court’s own motion or proper request of a party. If a
Reviewer note: Text-layer registration (16 pages, 27,337 chars, OCR-quality text with a District Clerk filing stamp of May 23, 2023) read in full 2026-09-05; quotations verbatim with obvious OCR breaks repaired only inside brackets. Composed benchpath-ajr8-tarrant. County-site receipt(s) in custody 2026-09-06: https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/content/dam/main/family-courts/Documents/famrules.pdf (same edition); https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/content/dam/main/district-clerk/famrules.pdf (same edition); https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/content/dam/main/family-courts/233rdFDC/FamilyLawLocalRules-EffectiveJune1-2023.pdf (same edition). [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 97720fa90172..., 16 page(s), digital layer that failed the machine checks; text taken from the layer and corrected word by word from the page) read against the rendered file; verbatim, source typos kept, stamps/signatures bracketed; the earlier abstract replaced by the full instrument; confidence high. benchpath-tx-corpus0920-p12-2026-09-21]