About the firm
The Law Office of Bill Bolding was founded in Dallas, Texas in the year 2000 to provide legal services to Dallas and surrounding communities. We are committed to providing our clients with prompt, dependable service at a reasonable rate. Our goal is to be the most effective advocate possible for our clients in the following areas:Family law is an area of law dealing with family relations, including divorce, adoption, paternity, custody, and support.
DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW MEDIATION
A family law mediator is a neutral party who helps couples resolve family divorce issues. The mediator facilitates the communication between the two parties, provides information about the legal system, how issues may be viewed by lawyers or judges, and what alternatives there are for solving issues.CIVIL MEDIATION
A civil mediator helps parties identify issues, create an orderly environment for exploring options, suggests problem-solving techniques, and encourages the negotiations between the parties to resolve their dispute.CIVIL LITIGATION
Civil litigation is a legal dispute between two or more parties that seeks money damages. A lawyer who specializes in civil litigation represents parties in trials, hearings, and mediations before administrative agencies, and federal, state and local courts.INSURANCE DEFENSE
INSURANCE BAD FAITH
Insurers may be guilty of bad faith for failing to promptly and thoroughly investigate a claim, delaying payment, unreasonably denying benefits to a claim, or refusing to settle the case or reimburse you for the entirety of your loss, etc. Bad faith may also be claimed against a person who files suit solely for purposes of harassment.DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICE ACT
Bill Bolding represents clients who feel taken advantage of under this act. The primary purpose of the DTPA is to protect consumers against false, misleading, and deceptive business and insurance practices, unconscionable actions, and breaches of warranty by prohibiting certain acts and practices that tend to deceive consumers. A private citizen may seek compensation for damages caused by certain specific acts and practices listed in the DTPA.CONTRACTS
Bill Bolding prepares or reviews contracts between parties and advises his clients as to how contracts will affect them.NAME CHANGE - ADULTS
In conjunction with a divorce, a spouse may wish to change her name. This may be done as the divorce is finalized, with no additional expense. A name change outside of a divorce requires filing a lawsuit, paying a filing fee, and attending a hearing. Name changes are not permitted to avoid creditors and/or criminal prosecution. In all name-change cases, a fingerprint card must be submitted to the TDPS along with an application. This process can take 6-8 weeks.NAME CHANGE - MINORS
A name change for a minor requires both natural parents, whether married or not, to agree to the name change and sign the agreement. If one parent’s parental rights have been terminated, then that parent’s signature will not be necessary. A lawsuit is required, but depending on the age of the child, a fingerprint card may not be necessary.
GRANDPARENTS' RIGHTS
Under current Texas law, grandparents’ rights are limited, as Texas legislatures insist that it is the parents’ sole duty and responsibility to raise their children. However, rights may be granted under certain circumstances.PRE-MARITAL AGREEMENTS
Pre-marital agreements can be invaluable if one or both partners have accumulated substantial assets or debts and wishes to keep them as his/her own separate property or to protect the spouse from problems associated with pre-marital, separate debts. Each party should have a list of the assets they wish to include in the agreement and make sure that each item is clearly and specifically identified. A pre-marital agreement should not be used in place of a properly completed and documented will.TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS
Temporary restraining orders temporarily prevent or limit one’s activities associated with or against another person. If a party, whether child or adult is in immediate danger of physical or emotional abuse from a second party, this order can prevent that party from committing or refraining from those actions. In most cases, a hearing regarding the temporary restraining order must be heard by the judge with both parties present within two weeks of the judge signing the original order.PROTECTIVE ORDERS
Protective orders are similar to temporary restraining orders and may be filed in conjunction with those motions. However, the protective order is usually requested in order to provide legal restraint against a party for the protection of the other party, a third party, or a child. A protective order can be used to prevent a party from threatening another party with physical harm or to prevent them from coming within a set number of feet from the party seeking protection.PATERNITY
DNA testing can be important for establishing paternity of an alleged father of a child. Under current law, a man is assumed to be the father of a child if that child is born during the marriage of the parties. If the alleged father does not contest paternity within four years of the birth of the child, he loses all his future rights to do so.COLLABORATIVE LAW
Under collaborative law, each party is represented by his own counsel and agrees to establish the issue and area of contention, and then discusses and attempts to reach an agreement. It is an opportunity to openly discuss important assets of a case and resolve all or as many of them as possible without having to continue the legal process to trial before a judge or jury. Before beginning the collaborative law process, all parties agree that if no agreement can be reached and the case must be tried, then the parties will dismiss their current attorneys and hire new counsel to take the matter to trial.TERMINATON OF PARENTAL RIGHTS
A request for the termination of a parent’s rights is very serious and is considered as such in the state of Texas. A lawsuit requesting termination of rights of the father or mother may be brought by either parent r a third party such as Child Protective Services. If the parent/parents against whom the request is filed agrees to the termination, then it is usually granted. If the parent/parents do not agree, the Petitioner must show the court that a legitimate and legal reason exists for such termination. Reasons to terminate rights include but are not limited to leaving the child with another who is not the parent without expressing an intent to return; failing to provide adequate support for the child who has been left in the care of another who is not the parent; placing the child in conditions or surroundings which endanger the physical or emotional well-being of the child; abandoning the child; certain violations of the Penal Code; engaging in criminal activity that has resulted in the conviction o an offense and confinement for not less than two years and the termination would be in the best interest of the child, see161.001 Texas Family Code. Legally once a parent’s rights have en terminated, it is as if that parent had never been the child’s parent.
About Bill Bolding
Bill W. Bolding graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (BSBA) and Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (JD). He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 2000.He is a member of the following: State Bar of Texas- Family Law Section, Litigation Section; American Bar Association- Family Law Section, Litigation Section; Texas Trial Lawyer’s Association; American Trial Lawyer’s Association; Dallas Trial Lawyer’s Association; Annette Stewart Inn of Court.
He is a volunteer attorney with Dispute Mediation Services.
He is authorized to practice in the Northern and Eastern Districts of the State of Texas.
He is authorized to mediate cases in Family Law and Civil Litigation.
He has 20+ years of experience in insurance claims adjusting, supervising and managing.
Philosophy
The Law Office of Bill W. Bolding has a philosophy of providing impeccable personal service while preserving a client’s trust, confidence and privacy. Each case is important to us, whether it is in the area of family law, civil litigation, or mediation. As your advocate, Bill Bolding will provide aggressive but compassionate representation with practical legal solutions, as well as goal oriented service. Our philosophy is that we treat each client as an individual seeking personal legal advice. Bill Bolding possesses the experience to handle a case while maintaining a client’s goals and interests in mind.Bill W. Bolding’s extensive background and experience in the areas of accounting, insurance and business management helps him manage clients, and his ability to create a strategic plan for his clients’ success is related to his innovation to apply law to create the best possible solution to his clients’ problems.
The Law Office of Bill W. Bolding is committed to more than providing legal services. Each client gives us a new opportunity to invest in a life, serve in a difficult situation, help achieve a goal, and be a personal advocate, while providing sound legal advice. We offer a free 15 minute consultation to find out if our view is right for you. We are confident that after speaking with us, you will feel certain that Bill Bolding is a trustworthy choice in seeking sound legal advice. We look forward to speaking with you and serving you in any way we can.
Large firms can make the relationship between a lawyer and his client less personal. With Bill Bolding, each client receives individual attention, which helps establish a more trusting relationship.
