Tex. Family Code § 107.021
This is the official text of Tex. Family Code § 107.021, part of Texas’s Family Code — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, and adoption.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 107.021. DISCRETIONARY APPOINTMENTS.
Official statutory text
(a) In a suit in which the best interests of a child are at issue, other than a suit filed by a governmental entity requesting termination of the parent-child relationship or appointment of the entity as conservator of the child, the court may appoint one of the following:
(1) an amicus attorney;
(2) an attorney ad litem; or
(3) a guardian ad litem.
(a-1) In a suit requesting termination of the parent-child relationship that is not filed by a governmental entity, the court shall, unless the court finds that the interests of the child will be represented adequately by a party to the suit whose interests are not in conflict with the child's interests, appoint one of the following:
(1) an amicus attorney; or
(2) an attorney ad litem.
(b) In determining whether to make an appointment under this section, the court:
(1) shall:
(A) give due consideration to the ability of the parties to pay reasonable fees to the appointee; and
(B) balance the child's interests against the cost to the parties that would result from an appointment by taking into consideration the cost of available alternatives for resolving issues without making an appointment;
(2) may make an appointment only if the court finds that the appointment is necessary to ensure the determination of the best interests of the child, unless the appointment is otherwise required by this code; and
(3) may not require a person appointed under this section to serve without reasonable compensation for the services rendered by the person.
(1) an amicus attorney;
(2) an attorney ad litem; or
(3) a guardian ad litem.
(a-1) In a suit requesting termination of the parent-child relationship that is not filed by a governmental entity, the court shall, unless the court finds that the interests of the child will be represented adequately by a party to the suit whose interests are not in conflict with the child's interests, appoint one of the following:
(1) an amicus attorney; or
(2) an attorney ad litem.
(b) In determining whether to make an appointment under this section, the court:
(1) shall:
(A) give due consideration to the ability of the parties to pay reasonable fees to the appointee; and
(B) balance the child's interests against the cost to the parties that would result from an appointment by taking into consideration the cost of available alternatives for resolving issues without making an appointment;
(2) may make an appointment only if the court finds that the appointment is necessary to ensure the determination of the best interests of the child, unless the appointment is otherwise required by this code; and
(3) may not require a person appointed under this section to serve without reasonable compensation for the services rendered by the person.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a family matter in Texas?
See all Texas Family lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.