Monthly Archive: January 2020

We talked Monday about a question we get fairly frequently: Should I report my husband’s adultery to his military command? The answer to Monday’s question is fairly straightforward. In almost every single case, I’d say absolutely not. There’s too much risk to you (from loss of potential child and spousal support to military health insurance,...

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All too often, the answers that I give to the questions that I’m asked are complicated and multifaceted. A question that a woman describes to me as “simple” ends up being anything but simple, after I’ve covered all the bases and explained all the possible advantages, disadvantages, things to be aware of, and vagaries of...

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What’s an appeal de novo?

  Considering it’s a dead language, there’s an awful lot of Latin in the law. Since so many of us are not Latin speaking, it can make reading the law, cases, and even general information about the law difficult – or, worse, nearly completely incomprehensible. Understanding the direct translation of a phrase doesn’t necessarily enhance...

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In Your Virginia Child Custody Case, Forget Fair

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s a truth that you should accept, and the earlier the better. Custody cases are not about fairness. There are lots of things about custody cases that are “unfair”. It’s not fair that he can petition, over and over again, for a modification based on a material change...

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On Monday, we talked about issues that gay parents face in custody and visitation cases, with specific emphasis on couples who have always been gay. I don’t say “always” to ignite any kind of nature or nurture debate, but merely to illustrate that there are some differences between gay partners who had children together and...

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Virginia Same Sex Custody and Visitation Cases

When it comes to custody cases where same sex relationships are an issue, things get complicated really, really quickly, mostly because there are all sorts of different types and categories of relationships that fall under this heading. Not only that, but same sex relationships and how they’re treated, especially as it relates to custody and...

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Do I Want a Guardian ad Litem Appointed?

A Guardian ad litem is an attorney appointed on behalf of a child in a custody case. We really don’t bring kids to court to testify; there won’t be a moment where the child has to tell the court whether he’d prefer to live with mom or dad. That just doesn’t happen. But, of course,...

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What is a parenting plan?

In terms of vocabulary, there are all sorts of things that we say when it comes to custody and visitation that may seem new to you. I’ve written extensively on legal and physical custody, the different types (primary, shared, and split), coparenting, parenting education seminars, and many other topics related to custody and visitation that...

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