Tex. Fam. Code § 107.001 · Subchapter A. COURT-ORDERED REPRESENTATION IN SUITS AFFECTING THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP
DEFINITIONS.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
In this chapter:
(1) "Amicus attorney" means an attorney appointed by the court in a suit, other than a suit filed by a governmental entity, whose role is to provide legal services necessary to assist the court in protecting a child's best interests rather than to provide legal services to the child, including by acting as a witness or making recommendations to the court.
(2) "Attorney ad litem" means an attorney who provides legal services to a person, including a child, and who owes to the person the duties of undivided loyalty, confidentiality, and competent representation.
(3) "Developmentally appropriate" means structured to account for a child's age, level of education, cultural background, and degree of language acquisition.
(4) "Dual role" means the role of an attorney who is appointed under Section 107.0125 to act as both guardian ad litem and attorney ad litem for a child in a suit filed by a governmental entity.
(5) "Guardian ad litem" means a person appointed to represent the best interests of a child. The term includes:
(A) a volunteer advocate from a charitable organization described by Subchapter C who is appointed by the court as the child's guardian ad litem;
(B) a professional, other than an attorney, who holds a relevant professional license and whose training relates to the determination of a child's best interests;
(C) an adult having the competence, training, and expertise determined by the court to be sufficient to represent the best interests of the child; or
(D) an attorney ad litem appointed to serve in the dual role.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., R.S., Ch. 20 (H.B. 655), Sec. 1, eff. April 20, 1995.
Amended by:
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., Ch. 751 (H.B. 433), Sec. 15, eff. September 1, 1995.
Acts 1997, 75th Leg., Ch. 1294 (S.B. 349), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 1997.
Acts 2003, 78th Leg., Ch. 262 (H.B. 1815), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2003.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 1.031, eff. April 2, 2015.
Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 594 (H.B. 2530), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/FA/htm/FA.107.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 e4c667856f912167fefd997350fc0c3371551583c3fb774ce42d5ecbaa92d29f
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 4 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Fam. Code § 107.001. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Family Code
- Tex. Fam. Code § 101.0017AMICUS ATTORNEY.Printed as Section 107.001
- Tex. Fam. Code § 101.0018ATTORNEY AD LITEM.Printed as Section 107.001
- Tex. Fam. Code § 101.0145GUARDIAN AD LITEM.Printed as Section 107.001
- Tex. Fam. Code § 266.0041ENROLLMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN CERTAIN RESEARCH PROGRAMS.Printed as Section 107.001
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.