Does the firm have an office in Plano?
No. Katie L. Lewis, P.C. Family Law is based in Dallas at 10440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1100, and works with clients who live in Plano and throughout the Dallas area.
Plano · Collin County
Plano Divorce for Executives, Equity Awards, and Custody
When a household's finances include RSUs, restricted stock, or deferred compensation, and a parent's calendar is shaped by long days and travel, divorce raises questions a standard checklist does not answer. Katie L. Lewis, P.C. Family Law, a Dallas family law firm, works with Plano professionals and parents on both.
Who we work with
Serving Plano clients from our Dallas office
Plano is a city north of Dallas and part of the region's broader corporate community, where compensation often includes equity awards, bonuses, or deferred pay. Our office is in Dallas at 10440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1100. We do not have an office in Plano, and we work with clients who live there and throughout the Dallas area.
Katie L. Lewis is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and the firm practices family law exclusively. For clients with layered compensation, much of that work involves organizing the financial picture carefully while keeping the children's routines in view.
Executive compensation
When compensation does not arrive all at once
In a Texas divorce, the court divides the community estate in a manner it considers just and right, which is not always an equal split. Below is a general overview of why equity and deferred awards often call for closer review. It is meant to help you prepare, not to predict how any issue will be resolved in your case.
Why vesting dates matter
Texas is a community property state, and property possessed by either spouse when the marriage ends is presumed to be community property. Equity awards complicate that starting point because they are often granted on one date, vest on others, and may be tied to work performed before, during, or after the marriage.
As a result, a single grant can raise questions about whether all, part, or none of it is community property. The answer depends on the award documents, the timeline, and how Texas law applies to those facts, which is why a careful review of grant and vesting dates is usually one of the first steps.
Related: Property division
RSUs and restricted stock
Restricted stock units and restricted stock awards usually come with conditions, such as continued employment through a vesting date or the achievement of performance goals. Unvested units may never be delivered, and their eventual value can move with the company's share price.
Those features affect both characterization and valuation. Parties sometimes divide awards as they vest rather than assigning a value today, and the terms of the plan may limit what can be transferred. Which approach makes sense depends on the specific awards and the rest of the estate.
Related: High-net-worth divorce
Deferred compensation and long-term awards
Nonqualified deferred compensation plans, long-term incentive awards, and similar arrangements can represent significant value that does not appear on a monthly pay stub. Payment may be scheduled years away, tied to a separation from the company, or subject to forfeiture.
Understanding these plans often requires the plan documents themselves, not just a summary, and may call for input from qualified financial or valuation professionals. Tax treatment and timing of payment can also affect what an award is worth to each spouse.
Related: High-net-worth divorce
Tracing, valuation, and qualified advice
A spouse who claims that part of an award or account is separate property generally must prove it by clear and convincing evidence. Tracing is how that proof is assembled: following shares and proceeds from grant through vesting, sales, and reinvestment to what exists today.
Compensation can also matter outside of property division. Bonuses and equity income may be relevant to child support or spousal support questions, depending on how and when they are paid. These are fact-specific issues, and the right answer usually comes from documents and qualified advice rather than general rules.
Related: Financial protection checklist
Before a consultation
Compensation records that are often useful
You do not need to have everything gathered before reaching out. If these records are easy to access, they can make a first conversation more productive. The financial protection checklist covers the broader household picture.
- Grant agreements
- The award agreement for each RSU, restricted stock, or option grant, including grant date and any performance conditions.
- Vesting schedules
- Statements from the equity plan administrator showing what has vested, what is unvested, and upcoming vesting dates.
- Plan documents
- The governing plan for any deferred compensation or long-term incentive program, along with your elections.
- Brokerage records
- Where vested shares were deposited, sold, or transferred, and where the proceeds went afterward.
- Pay and tax records
- Recent pay statements, W-2s, tax returns, and bonus letters that show how compensation has been paid over time.
- Employment agreements
- Offer letters, retention agreements, and any change-in-control or separation terms that could affect future awards.
Custody and demanding work
A parenting plan that fits a real work schedule
In Texas, the best interest of the child is the primary consideration in decisions about conservatorship, possession, and access. Long hours, early flights, and quarter-end deadlines do not decide a custody case, but they do shape what a workable schedule looks like.
The Texas standard possession order is a common starting point, and parents can often agree to a different schedule that better fits their children and their work. Questions like these are worth thinking through early. Learn more about child custody and visitation, or see how common schedules fall across a year with the parenting time calculator.
- A possession schedule that reflects real work hours, not an idealized week
- How business travel is handled, including notice to the other parent
- Whether a parent may offer unused time to the other parent before using other childcare
- Exchange times and locations that account for the commute between Plano and Dallas
- How parents share school, medical, and activity information when one is often away
- What happens if a job change, promotion, or relocation changes the schedule
Looking ahead
When careers change after the divorce
Promotions, new roles, and relocations are common in corporate careers, and each can affect both a parenting schedule and future compensation. A Texas court may modify a custody or possession order when circumstances have materially and substantially changed and the modification is in the child's best interest.
Thinking about likely changes while the original terms are being negotiated can reduce the need to revisit them later. When a change does come, our family law modifications page explains the process, and the firm's attorneys can discuss your situation.
Next step
Talk with a family law attorney about your Plano divorce
If you are considering divorce, have been served, or want to understand how your compensation and schedule may factor into your case, contact the firm to begin the intake process. The team will learn about your circumstances and explain what happens next. Read more about how our intake process works.
Frequently asked questions
Are unvested RSUs divided in a Texas divorce?
It depends. Whether unvested awards are community property, separate property, or a mix of both can turn on when they were granted, what they were granted for, and when they vest. The award documents and the facts of the marriage matter, so this is a question to review with an attorney.
Will my travel schedule hurt my chances in a custody case?
A demanding schedule does not decide a custody case. Texas courts focus on the best interest of the child, and a parent's availability is one of many facts that may be considered. A plan that honestly reflects your schedule, and how your children will be cared for, is usually more useful than one that ignores it.
Can compensation like bonuses or equity affect child support?
It can. Depending on how and when it is paid, compensation beyond base salary may be relevant to support calculations. How it is treated in a particular case depends on the facts and Texas law.
Is the information on this page legal advice?
No. This page provides general information about Texas family law. Every case depends on its own facts, and you should speak with a licensed attorney about your situation before making decisions.