We know you are facing one of the hardest decisions of your life. Lynda Landers has spent 29 years helping North Texas parents protect their relationships with their children.
Whether you are navigating a first custody arrangement, seeking to modify an order that no longer fits your family, or facing a relocation dispute, Lynda Landers is here to help you understand your options and move forward with clarity. Our office handles conservatorship, possession and access schedules, modifications, relocation cases, custody evaluations, and more — and our integrated approach means we work alongside therapists, child psychologists, custody evaluators, and financial planners to give you the most complete picture of your situation. You deserve guidance that considers the whole family, not just the legal paperwork.
From initial orders to modifications and beyond, we handle the full range of Texas child custody matters with care and experience.
Understand your rights and duties as a managing conservator under Texas law — and what joint versus sole arrangements actually mean for your family.
Learn about conservatorshipLearn how the Standard Possession Order works and when a custom schedule makes more sense for your child's age, school, and daily life.
Explore possession schedulesWhen circumstances change significantly, Texas law provides a path to update your custody order to reflect what your child needs now.
Understand modificationMoving or facing a move? Geographic restriction orders can have profound consequences — for both parents and the child caught in the middle.
Read about relocationAn independent evaluator's report can be pivotal in a contested case — and careful preparation before and during the process matters enormously.
Learn about evaluationsDocumented alienating behavior can influence conservatorship decisions significantly — courts take a parent's willingness to co-parent seriously.
Parental alienation resourceTexas law does not use the word "custody" the way most people hear it. Instead, courts establish conservatorship — the legal framework that defines each parent's rights, duties, and authority over their child. The most common arrangement is Joint Managing Conservatorship (JMC), in which both parents share the rights and duties of raising their child. Under JMC, one parent typically has the right to establish the child's primary residence, but both parents retain significant decision-making authority over education, healthcare, and other major life issues. Texas courts strongly favor JMC as a starting point because the legislature has concluded that children generally benefit from ongoing involvement with both parents — unless there is credible evidence of family violence, abuse, or circumstances that would make joint management unworkable or harmful.
When JMC is not appropriate, a court may appoint one parent as Sole Managing Conservator (SMC), granting that parent exclusive rights over the decisions that matter most. Sole managing conservatorship is not simply awarded because one parent is "better" — under Texas Family Code §153.131, the court must find that appointing both parents as joint managing conservators would significantly impair the child's physical health or emotional development. The bar is real, and the burden matters. Common grounds include a documented history of family violence, substance abuse, child neglect, or a pattern of conduct that demonstrates one parent cannot or will not cooperate in the child's best interest. Understanding the difference between these two structures — and which one serves your family — is often the first and most important conversation we have with a new client.
A child custody case is rarely just a legal problem. It is a family problem — one that touches on parenting dynamics, each parent's emotional state, the child's developmental needs, housing, finances, and sometimes mental health. Lynda Landers has built her practice around an integrated model that brings the right professionals into your case at the right time. That means working alongside licensed therapists, child psychologists, custody evaluators, co-parenting coaches, and financial planners as part of a coordinated team.
What does that look like in practice? It means your attorney understands the evaluator's methodology before the report is written — not after. It means that if a therapist's records become relevant, we are prepared to address them strategically and with sensitivity. It means that when financial arrangements affect custody decisions (as they often do), we have already anticipated those intersections. Better information leads to more realistic expectations, smarter strategy, and outcomes that actually serve your child's long-term wellbeing.
The goal is not simply to "win." It is to help you understand what you are working toward, plan for what comes next, and come out of this process in a position to be the parent your child needs. Learn more about Lynda Landers and Landers Family Law.
Texas Family Code §153.002 establishes the foundational principle of all custody proceedings: the best interest of the child is the court's primary consideration. But "best interest" is not a single factor — it is a framework. Courts weigh a constellation of circumstances specific to your family, and judges have broad discretion in how they apply it. The factors commonly evaluated include:
These factors are not a checklist — courts weigh them holistically based on your specific situation, and no single factor is automatically dispositive. How they come together in your case is something we will work through with you directly.
Wherever you are in Collin County, our office is accessible and our representation is local. We serve families in every community in the county and the surrounding region.
Lynda Landers practices in Collin County courts and has deep familiarity with local judicial procedures, standing orders, and expectations — knowledge that makes a real difference in how your case is handled.
Are you also dealing with divorce or child support? Our network of related sites may help: divorce.yourfamilylawyer.net and childsupport.yourfamilylawyer.net.
A consultation gives you a clear picture of your options — no pressure, no promises. Just honest guidance from an attorney who has devoted her career to Texas family law.