Articles

If you’re military, you’re probably used to availing yourself of all the amenities military life offers.  If you had a landlord/tenant issue, for example, you’d probably go to base legal, or speak to a JAG attorney – and, in many ways, a divorce feels no different.  Right?  You need legal advice, you go to the...

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Single moms are always under a lot of pressure.  For one thing, life – and parenting – is hard.  For another, they’re constantly subject to the judgment of others. One way I see this play out – unfairly, in my opinion – to the detriment of mothers and children is in how other people like...

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I’m military. Can I even file my own divorce?

  In some ways, a divorce is a divorce.  Certainly, if we’re looking at things procedurally, one divorce doesn’t differ all that much from another, though there’s also no question that a military divorce involves considerations that civilian divorces don’t. Mostly, military divorces mean that there are categories of assets – BAH, SBP, TSP, the...

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What should my first steps be pre-divorce?

Most of the questions that we get – at least in the early stages of a separation or divorce – is a basic one.  “What should I do first?” It’s a good question, too, because I think it’s always smart to go into something knowing what to expect and having at least the outlines of...

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  Coparenting is not easy.  No one ever said it was.  And, to make matters worse, parenting isn’t easy, either, so not only do you have an already difficult job – parenting your child – you also add on top of that the fact that you and your child’s father are not necessarily on the same...

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Common Coparenting Issues: Cell Phones

  It’s hard enough to be a parent in modern times; it’s even harder when you add in the difficulty associated with trying to be a collaborative coparent with your ex.  Even in otherwise happy marriages, moms and dads disagree about what is best for their kids.  In a situation where mom and dad are...

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What can I ask for in my Virginia divorce?

Just because you want a divorce doesn’t necessarily mean that you really know what you are entitled to receive – or, even more than that, what it might look like after the ink is dry on your final divorce decree.  Hey, that’s okay! You’ve probably never been in this position before and, heck, even if...

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Does Virginia recognize common law marriage?

I used to get lots of questions about common law marriage.  Lately, well, not so much – until the other day.  A woman asked me what, in my opinion, was a very perceptive question about whether marriage is designed to be a safeguard to protect spouses (and, in particular, lesser earning spouses). Most of the...

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