Divorce and family law in Highland Park, University Park and Preston Hollow

If you live in Highland Park, University Park or Preston Hollow, your divorce or custody case will be filed in Dallas County and heard by one of its seven family district courts at 600 Commerce Street downtown. Highland Park and University Park are their own towns, but they sit inside Dallas County, so the same courts and the same county standing order apply. Scott Rewak's office is at 5950 Sherry Lane in Preston Center, close to home, and the first consultation is free and confidential.

Your own town, Dallas County's courts

Highland Park and University Park are separate towns, each with its own local government. Family cases are a different matter. Divorce, custody and child support are handled by the state district courts for the county where you live, and for both towns that is Dallas County. Preston Hollow is a neighborhood within the City of Dallas, so its residents file in Dallas County too.

That means your case will go to the Dallas County District Clerk and to one of the county's seven family district courts in the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street. To file there, you or your spouse must have lived in Dallas County for the 90 days before filing, and in Texas for six months (Tex. Fam. Code §6.301). The Dallas County page covers the courts, filing and protective orders in detail.

The standing order applies here from the start

The Dallas County Standing Order Regarding: Children, Pets, Property and Conduct of the Parties applies in every divorce and custody case filed in the county. A few parts often matter to families here:

• Travel with the children. Do not take the children out of Texas without a written agreement or a court order. If a family trip or summer plans are on the calendar, sort this out early.
• School routine. Do not disrupt the children's school or daycare.
• What you post and send. No coarse or offensive messages meant to annoy or alarm, including on social media, by text or by video chat.
• Pets. Do not harm or threaten a pet, or interfere with its care.

The order also has a property section for divorces. Read it, or have a lawyer walk you through it, before moving money or changing accounts.

When there is a lot to sort out financially

Some involve a family business, a professional practice, stock awards, real estate, or property one spouse had before the marriage.

Community and separate property

Texas presumes that property either spouse has during or at the end of the marriage is community property. Anyone who claims something is separate property, such as an asset owned before the marriage or received as a gift or inheritance, must prove it by "clear and convincing evidence" (Tex. Fam. Code §3.003). Old statements, account histories and records often decide whether a separate-property claim holds up.

Businesses and compensation

A business can be both a family's main asset and its source of income. Questions often include what the business is worth, how much of it is community property, and how it keeps running while the case is open. Scott's pages on divorce for business owners and executive compensation go deeper. Scott studied accounting before law school, which can help when a case turns on financial statements and how money moves.

Support when incomes are higher

Texas child-support guidelines are a percentage of the paying parent's net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, and up from there (§154.125). The guidelines apply where the paying parent's monthly net resources are $11,700 or less, a cap that took effect September 1, 2025 (Texas Register, Aug. 15, 2025). Spousal maintenance, when a spouse qualifies, may not exceed the lesser of $5,000 a month or 20% of the paying spouse's average monthly gross income (§8.055). How these rules apply depends on your situation. The high-net-worth divorce page explains more.

Keeping things private

Many people want a family matter handled quietly, out of view of neighbors, schools, clients or coworkers. There are practical ways to keep the temperature and the visibility down:

• Mediation. A mediator is a neutral person who helps both sides work toward an agreement in a private meeting rather than in a courtroom. Each Dallas family court sets its own policy. The 303rd's written policies, for example, make mediation mandatory in contested cases unless waived. See Scott's mediation page.
• Agreements reached early. When spouses agree on terms, there is less to argue about in open court.
• Care with messages and posts. The standing order already limits hostile communication. Beyond that, anything sent or posted can end up as evidence.
• A confidential first conversation. Scott's first consultation is free and confidential.

How Scott helps close to home

Scott Rewak is Board Certified, Family Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (2025) and the Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers (2024). His office is at 5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 800, in Preston Center. For people in Highland Park, University Park and Preston Hollow, that means a meeting near home instead of a trip downtown.

"There's no substitute for being prepared," Scott says. He has worked with people from all walks of life, and his aim is a resolution that leaves you in the strongest position possible once the matter is resolved. If you are just starting to think about divorce, his page on thinking about divorce is a calm place to begin, and the free Navigating Divorce workbook helps you get organized.

Questions people ask

Written for Scott Rewak, Board Certified, Family Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Last reviewed October 1, 2026. General information, not legal advice.