Mental health struggles are real, but that’s especially true during a divorce or custody case – literally one of the most stressful events that a human being can live through. Most therapists (and I admit, I am not one – just a regular old “counselor at law”) compare the impact of divorce to experiencing...
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Adultery, sodomy, and buggery are – at least for now – grounds for fault-based divorce in Virginia. There are a number of other, alternative fault-based grounds, including cruelty, apprehension of bodily hurt, desertion, abandonment, and felony conviction, but adultery has always been sort of in its own category because it is also a crime (a...
On July 1, 2026, the law is changing. To be fair, almost every single year on July 1, the law changes in some way and, usually, there is some impact to family law. Sometimes, the effect is negligible – like, last year, when guideline child support was raised. Don’t get me wrong. We celebrated. But...
In Virginia, when you file for child custody, you also often file for visitation and child support. These petitions go hand in hand for a number of reasons, but probably the biggest one is that, if you don’t ask for something, the court doesn’t have the power to award it. So many things in law...
There are few things in a family law context that drive extreme emotion quite like adultery and child custody. When you combine the two, it’s a recipe for volatility. But … does it matter? It’s an excellent question and one definitely worth discussing. Let’s get into it. If your soon-to-be ex-husband (or ex boyfriend) cheated...
The laws are changing beginning July 1 – so, though my answer to this question up until now would have been one thing, now it is different. Let’s talk about it! In Virginia, we have both fault and no fault divorce. (At least for now – the Virginia Family Law Coalition is looking into this...
In the last several years, there have been some major changes to Virginia family law. Just last year, in 2025, guideline child support amounts were raised. This year, in 2026, the two major changes for family law are (1) that post-separation adultery is no longer recognized as a cause of action and (2) that, even...
Coming up with a parenting plan isn’t just about how you’ll share the days in each week, though it is certainly about how you’ll share the days in the week. To make matters even more complicated, there are many other considerations that should be reflected in your parenting plan, and you’ll want to make sure...