We are proud to announce that several of our attorneys at Katie L. Lewis, P.C. Family Law have been selected for inclusion in the 2025_Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers_lists.
Congratulations to our CEO and Managing Partner, Katie L. Lewis, who has once again been named a 2025 Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer – a distinction she has earned every year since 2012. Katie has also been recognized among the Top 50 Women in the State of Texas in 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as the Top 100 Lawyers in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
We also celebrate our Partners, Andrew Kerns and Erica Eslinger, who have each been named 2025 Thomson Reuters Rising Stars. Andrew has received this honor every year since 2021, and Erica has been recognized each year since 2021 as well. Their continued recognition reflects their commitment to excellence and the invaluable contributions they make to our clients and our firm.
We are also proud to recognize Kassie Hines, who has been named a 2025 Thomson Reuters Rising Star for the second year in a row. Her recognition in both 2024 and 2025 reflects her dedication to excellence and her important role on our team.
These honors reflect the strength, talent, and dedication of our team in serving families across Texas. Please join us in congratulating our attorneys on these well-deserved distinctions.
[The Truth About Common Law Marriage: How Many Years Are Needed?](https://www.katielewisfamilylaw.com/blog/2025/09/the-truth-about-common-law-marriage-how-many-years-are-needed/)
There’s no “7-year rule” in Texas. A common-law (informal) marriage exists only if all three are true at the same time: you agreed to be married, you lived together in Texas, and you held yourselves out to others as married. Once formed, it’s a real marriage—community-property rules apply, and ending it requires a divorce, not just moving out. -How many years is common law marriage? The answer might surprise you! A common misconception is that living together for a certain number of years—often cited as seven years—automatically makes a couple common-law married. But this isn’t true in the United States. There is no specific duration required to establish a common law marriage in Texas. -What is Common Law Marriage? Common law marriage is a type of marriage that doesn’t require a traditional ceremony or a marriage license. Instead, a couple is considered legally married simply by living together and presenting themselves as married to their community. Definition A common law marriage is essentially a legally recognized marriage between two people who haven’t had a formal wedding ceremony or obtained a marriage license. It’s like being married without the paperwork.
Read More[What happens when a Texas parent doesn’t pay child support?](https://www.katielewisfamilylaw.com/blog/2025/09/what-happens-when-a-texas-parent-doesnt-pay-child-support/)
Texas gives parents strong tools to collect unpaid child support—from income withholding and contempt to license suspensions, liens/levies, and tax-refund intercepts. If income has truly changed, seek a modification to stop new arrears, but past-due amounts can’t be retroactively reduced. -Collecting unpaid child support in Texas Texas law provides several mechanisms to enforce child support orders, including: Income withholding: The most common method of seeking overdue child support involves an income withholding order. This means automatically deducting child support payments from the payor’s paycheck. Contempt of court: If the payor parent continues to miss payments, the payee parent can file a motion for enforcement that asks the court to hold the non-payer in contempt, which can result in fines and even jail time. -What about modifications? If child support is overdue because a payor parent’s financial circumstances have changed and they cannot pay support, either parent can request a review and modification of the child support order. Modifications will not eliminate past-due amounts. However, they can prevent further arrears from piling up under the original terms that the payor parent may no longer be able to meet.
Read MoreGood News
Good News
Dallas Love Field Airport has become home to an innovative renewable energy solution that turns jet engine exhaust—produced during engine idling before takeoff—into usable electricity. A company named JetWind has developed specially designed pods placed beneath gates; when aircraft perform pre-flight checks and run engines while waiting for taxi clearance, these pods capture the strong wind-like exhaust flow. The exhaust energy, along with solar panels, is fed into batteries that then connect to the airport’s electrical grid. Good News Network
After three years of testing (2021–2024), JetWind’s system is now officially deployed at Love Field. Thirteen pod “sets” will generate about 30 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy—enough to power a typical home for a few days. While that amount doesn’t cover the airport’s full power needs, when multiplied across similar systems deployed throughout the airport, such installations can meaningfully reduce its carbon footprint.
Pet Spotlight
Angels for Animals — The Story of Angie’s Friends
Angie’s Friends is a grassroots, 501(c)(3) animal-welfare nonprofit in Dallas with a mission rooted in compassion and persistence. For over a decade, Angie and her small team have walked neighborhood streets—especially in economically challenged areas—feeding, watering, medicating, and sheltering dogs often relegated to chains or outright neglect. What began as one woman’s care and concern has grown into a formal rescue to advocate for and rehabilitate abused and abandoned dogs across South and West Dallas.
The organization’s approach goes beyond mere relief: Angie’s Friends actively pursues adoptions and long-term care, believing that each adoption marks a fresh start for both the animal and the human who opens their home. Through community support, fundraising (such as campaigns around North Texas Giving Day), and storytelling that shines a light on otherwise unseen animals, they are building bridges between vulnerable dogs and forever homes.
Visit angiesfriends.org to get involved.
