Attorney Profile
Introducing Carl Ritter: Your Seasoned Family Law and Estate Planning Attorney
Carl J. Ritter
Lead Attorney
Meet Carl Ritter: Your Fearless Family Law and Estate Planning Advocate
Carl Ritter is a senior attorney at Bryan Fagan, PLLC, representing clients in family law and estate planning matters. His focus areas include contested divorces, child custody disputes, guardianships, and contested wills.
Carl doesn’t shy away from cases involving parties with challenging pasts or those involving Child Protective Services (CPS). He is a fierce advocate for clients striving to keep or regain custody of their children. Additionally, he provides assistance to grandparents fighting for their grandchildren, recognizing that the best interest of the child is always the most crucial factor in any case.
Carl’s representation extends to clients interested in estate planning and those needing assistance with issues of guardianship. With substantial experience in contested probate cases requiring litigation, Carl finds the courtroom to be his favorite aspect of being an attorney.
With over 35 years as a practicing attorney, Carl has an extensive background, including serving as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer in the United States Air Force. His understanding of the nuances of military law, as well as the intricacies involved in military life, combine to make Carl an astute choice for military personnel and their families. He has also spent 10 years as an attorney with the Office of the Attorney General in Texas.
Recently relocating to Houston with his wife of 25 years, Carl is now closer to their two children attending school at Texas A&M and Houston Baptist University. Carl cherishes time spent with his family at the beach and in the mountains. You can find him golfing, swimming, relaxing in lazy rivers, savoring fantastic foods, and enjoying the great outdoors.
Practice Areas
- Divorce
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Visitation Issues
- Paternity Actions
- Estate Planning
- Probate
- Guardianships
Bar Admissions
- Texas Bar, 1986
Education
- St. Mary’s University School of Law, J.D., 1986
- University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1983
Licenses
- Texas Real Estate Brokers License
Representative Experience
- Successfully able to maintain paternal grandparents’ access to their grandchild, despite the biological father terminating his parental rights.
- Successfully handled a contested probate case involving property that was gifted to a helpful neighbor. The deceased’s family members contested the will, claiming the neighbor should not have received the property. The case was found in favor of the neighbor and the original wishes as outlined in the testator’s will.
- Case involving an elderly couple whose wife died. Family made a new will on the same day of the wife’s funeral, which gave all the property rights to the children. Other family members actually saw them pull into the law office after the funeral. This was a case of family vs. family fighting over a 20+ million dollar estate. Courts maintained the original will of the parties.