
Brett Christiansen
Christiansen Davis LLC
For your Probate, Estate Planning and Business Legal Needs call Brett at (409) 292-7668
Brett Christiansen is a Shareholder/Partner at Christiansen Davis LLC. His practice areas are PROBATE, ESTATE PLANNING and BUSINESS. His probate practice encompasses all facets of probate – with a will and intestate (without a will). The primary focus of his family practice is collaborative divorce and pre and post marital agreements. His business practice centers on commercial contracts with an emphasis on technology; negotiating and drafting contracts for the sale and licensing of software and other intellectual property; mergers and acquisitions; business entity formation and other general corporate matters. Prior to joining Christiansen Davis, Mr. Christiansen served as General Counsel for a leading national technology provider. Mr. Christiansen is a certified public accountant in the State of Texas and has experience in both public and private practice.
“Family is at the core of who we are, whether that family is biological or chosen. That is why a solid legal foundation is so important. I endeavor to tackle the complex issues of family law in a positive, constructive way, always advocating for the needs and wishes of my client first, while being mindful of the emotional impact behind each and every decision.”
Brett Christiansen - Partner/Shareholder
Email bchristiansen@cdfirm.com
Phone: (409) 292-7668
Fax: (972) 332-2306
Galveston County, Texas
Areas of Practice
Probate
Trusts and Estate Planning
Will Drafting
Collaborative Divorce
Pre-marital and Post-marital Agreements
Mergers, Acquisitions, Divestures
Corporate Governance
Financing/Debt Covenants
Contract Drafting, Negotiating, and Management
- Texas Wesleyan University
- Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D.)
-
- Partner
- Christiansen Davis LLC
- Current
- We got marriage rights. Now let’s get marriage right.
- Brett Christiansen's Blog
- Legal Essentials for Entrepreneurs, Starting A Business, Certificate Course, Dallas, TX
- SOuthern Methodist University, School of Entreprenuership
- A detailed discussion of business entity formation and business contracting with a focus on newly formed business ventures.
- Certified Public Accountant
- Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
- Finalist 2006 Best Corporate Counsel Award
- Dallas Business Journal
- Finalist in 2006 Best Corporate Counsel Award, General Counsel - Small Business
- Texas State Bar  # 24006439
- Member
- - Current
-
- Dallas LGBT Bar Association
- President
- -
-
- State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Section
- Vice Chair
- -
-
- Texas
-
- Free Consultation
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- Family Law
- Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law
- Divorce
- Collaborative Law, Contested Divorce, Military Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Business Law
- Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
- English: Spoken, Written
- Q. My partner and I have separated after 15 yrs and I need to know my rights and options as far as dividing our asset
- A: The answer to this question really depends on the legal status of your relationship with your partner of 15 years. You use the term "partner". Were you married? Did you have any other type of status on your relationship? That will dictate how the property can be handled. That status will also dictate the characterization of the property which can also affect how the asset is to be divided. You may meet the requirements of an Informal Marriage in TEXAS which are found in Texas Family Code Section 2.401. There are three elements of an informal ("Common Law") marriage in Texas and you must have all three parts(at the same time) in order to have an informal marriage in Texas. You and your partner must have (1) AGREED to be married (2) LIVED TOGETHER in TEXAS as a married couple AND (3) REPRESENTED TO OTHERS that you were married. If you can prove an informal marriage, that puts potentially a lot of other assets into play for division. But, If the house was a COMMUNITY PROPERTY asset (i.e. acquired AFTER marriage) the Court could divide the asset for you and in the event that one could not afford to buy the other out of their interest, they would likely order the house sold, mortgage paid and remaining proceeds split just and right. But, you can never tell exactly what a court will do. If your interest in the house is a separate property (generally meaning exiting before the marriage) or an individual, personal interest (i.e. no marriage here) you could bring a partition suit for the house and generally in those cases the Court will have the house sold and profits split. This can be complicated and absent an agreement, you should likely seek counsel to assist you in navigating a path.