Texas Marital Property Rights

In this book, Oldham, a professor who has taught Texas community property for 35 years, uses his expertise to survey important legal concepts relating to marital property. Most chapters contain introductory material regarding each topic, so students have some background before wading through cases. Practical information is presented to encourage students to consider the context of legal practice. For example, the book features material on client counseling, dealing with difficult clients, and the challenge of drafting unambiguous documents. Notes after many cases provide more information about Texas law in a particular area and when there are no Texas cases addressing an issue, cases from other states are included.

The book's sixth edition continues the philosophy of previous editions and includes additional material that updates the text. Recent cases added in this edition cover a variety of topics and situations, such as: all the potential claims cohabitants can have when the relationship ends; how to calculate the marital claim to goodwill relating to a business started during marriage; the impact of ERISA preemption on community property law; what happens when spouses have lived in other states before moving to Texas and filing for divorce; and when a premarital agreement will be perceived to be involuntarily signed and therefore unenforceable. This edition also features a substantial discussion about the current state of reimbursement law in Texas after recent statutory enactments.