On Wednesday, we talked about ‘parenting time’ and what that means in a custody and visitation case in Virginia. Essentially, what it all boils down to is finding more correct – and less alienating – ways to describe the way families parent their children. Though some of the more negative language is still in our...
Monthly Archive: April 2022
When it comes to understanding family law, a lot comes down to understanding the specific vocabulary that we – attorneys, judges, Guardians ad litem, custody evaluators, and others – use to describe them. Some of that is actual legal language. The worst of it is literally in Latin – yes, Latin! – but there’s plenty...
Everyone – yes, everyone – comes to us with ‘just a little’ question they want answered. While the question may seem little to you, to a divorce attorney it’s probably anything but. Lawyers famously answer questions with two little words: “It depends.” And you can probably get that answer, at least, for free. In...
In the majority of cases, it’s clear where a divorce or custody case should take place. For people who separate and live under the same roof, or for people who’ve always lived in Virginia, whose children go to schools in Virginia, or whatever, it’s probably pretty clear that the case is going to be handled...
It’s not easy to tell how much a divorce or custody case is going to cost. Even in my position, knowing as much as I know about family law, that would make me uneasy. It’s not easy to feel like, in hiring an attorney, you’re essentially striking a blank check. I’m going to do my...
Are you nervous to make calls when you don’t know what the person on the other end of the phone will ask you? I’ll admit it: sometimes I am. I’ve tried to combat this in my seasoned old age, but sometimes it still creeps in and gets to me. “Am I going to look stupid?...
One of the most common questions we get is about living together after separation. Specifically, can one of you – usually, the one with the upper hand – force the other to move out? Whether you own or rent your home, whether you’re the higher earning spouse or the lower earning spouse, the answer is...
If you’re reading this article in the actual week it was published (April 11, 2022), I’m out on vacation. I’m writing this, in advance, so that, while I’m gone, interesting legal questions will continue to be answered for any Virginia women searching for the answers. But my vacation – which will have me out of...