My wife and I want to adopt and we’ve been working with the Department of Family and Protective Services here in Houston. They sent us for foster parent and adoption training with a child placing agency. The agency conducts background checks before adoptions and they did one on me and my wife. I got a DUI about 3 years ago and the social worker handling the criminal background check says I have to wait at least 5 years after my DUI conviction before I can adopt a child through DFPS. I’m wondering whether this is actually true and if it is, whether my wife can adopt on her own if we stay married and living together. Can a lawyer get me through the adoption process even though I have a conviction on my record or help my wife adopt without me?

I have a prenuptial agreement signed by my wife and we are now in the middle of a divorce. The prenup says I keep all of my antique coin collection regardless of whether I bought more coins after we got married. My wife’s lawyer in Dallas just filed a paper saying my coin collection needs to be appraised and she wants half the value. I asked her what about the prenup and she said it’s no good because I forced her to sign it and she didn’t have her own lawyer. My lawyer drafted the agreement and my wife had plenty of time to look it and take it to a lawyer if she wanted. I never forced her to do anything. Is my prenuptial agreement valid and can I enforce it against my wife so I can keep my collection?