Relating to standing in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Contracts

• Retainer Agreements: Update engagement letters for family law clients to explicitly disclaim guarantees regarding standing, particularly for non-relative caregivers.
• Settlement Agreements: For ongoing litigation involving non-relatives, finalize and file all Orders or Mediated Settlement Agreements (MSAs) before September 1, 2025. If a case is refiled or modified after this date, the non-relative may lose standing.

Hiring/Training

• Intake Staff Training: Train legal intake teams on the new "Fourth Degree" standard. They must now screen for first cousins and great-aunts/uncles as viable petitioners, whereas previously these were rejected.
• Litigation Strategy: Attorneys must be trained to secure "Affidavits of Consent" from parents *before* filing motions to intervene for non-relatives, as this is now a jurisdictional prerequisite.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Genealogical Documentation: Intake protocols must require deeper documentation of lineage (birth/death certificates) to prove the fourth degree of consanguinity.
• New Forms: Create a standardized "Affidavit of Consent to Intervention" for biological parents to sign. Without this executed document, a non-relative motion to intervene under Section 102.004(b-2) is legally defective.

Fees & Costs

• Diligence Costs: Anticipate increased costs associated with locating and serving extended family members (up to the 4th degree) in contested custody matters.
• No New State Fees: The bill does not impose new filing fees.