If you’ve been following us for any period of time, you know that education for Virginia women facing custody and divorce cases is kind of our schtick. There’s no one else out there with divorce and custody related information specific to the Commonwealth of Virginia and targeted exclusively to women. The goal, of course, is to give women the information they need to make the best decisions possible for themselves and their families. Empowerment also factors in; it’s hard to make sound decisions when you’re feeling like you’re being threatened.
You know what they say – knowledge is power!
I need divorce and custody related information. Where do I start?
To that end, we’ve written four free books that you can request online on our website. We have a title for divorce, one for military divorce, one for custody and visitation, and another for how to choose an attorney. It’s a wealth of knowledge, and it’s available to you free at the click of a button. If you request a copy of one of our books, we’ll send you an immediate electronic copy of the book; if you fill in another form (which you’ll receive by e-mail) after you receive your e-book, and you live in our immediate geographical area, you can even receive a hard copy. It’s free, and the cost of shipping is free, too!
We ship our books in plain manila or white envelopes, and there’s no identifying information on the envelope or in the return address label. Still, we recommend that you provide a spouse-safe address so we can be sure to send it somewhere that your soon to be ex won’t just open it or something crazy. You can send it to your work, to a friend or neighbor’s house, or even, if you prefer, pick up at one of our convenient office locations.
I got the book, but now I want more divorce or custody information. Where do I go next?
So, you’ve gotten the book. You may even have read it! Good for you. So, what’s next? You probably don’t feel like a divorce and/or custody expert just yet. (Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself, this is hard stuff!) Or, maybe, you just feel like the next step is to be able to ask a couple more questions that have been keeping you awake at night. I get it!
If you’re not ready to come in for a consultation but would still like to talk to an attorney (without paying the cost of an initial consultation), attending one of our seminars is a good next step.
Second Saturday Monthly Divorce Seminar
Second Saturday is our monthly divorce seminar, which all of our attorneys teach on a rotating basis. We have two convenient locations in Virginia Beach and Newport News. We cover all sorts of important divorce-related topics, like when you can change the locks, what to do if you’re being abused, how the court system works, what a separation agreement is, how retirement is divided, and more.
The cost to attend is just $40 if you pre-register (which you can do by clicking here) or $50 at the door. We keep the fee as low as possible and, in fact, the payments we receive only cover room rental and printing the resource books we provide at the seminar. Our attorneys aren’t paid for their time, and consider the seminar as their “pro bono” service.
Still, we can issue fee waivers under certain circumstances if you just can’t afford to come otherwise. In order to qualify for a fee waiver, have your victim advocate or mental health professional send in a request to our office. Even if your victim advocate or mental health professional isn’t aware of our office or our seminar program (hey, even though we’ve been doing this for 30+ years, sometimes newer, younger therapists, or ones who transferred here recently due to military orders haven’t heard of us – which is crazy to me!), you can just ask that they place a quick call to us at 757-425-5200 and request a waiver for you.
Additionally, if you’ve had a consultation with our office or are a current client, we’re obviously more than happy to waive the fee for you.
For more information about Second Saturday, click here.
Custody Bootcamp for Moms is an intense, all day custody seminar designed to teach Virginia moms what they need to know about handing a custody, visitation, and child support case at the juvenile court level. Whether you want to act as your own attorney or just want to check up on your current attorney, it’s absolutely chock full of super valuable information, including how to make opening and closing arguments, how to introduce evidence and question and cross examine witnesses, what to wear, where to sit and stand and how to address the judge, and all about the ten best interests of the child factors that you must base your case around.
The cost to attend is $197. It’s an all day seminar, and taught by a licensed and experienced Virginia divorce and custody attorney who is committed to representing women only. Lunch is provided. The Custody Bootcamp seminar is offered quarterly on the fourth Saturday of the month in January, April, July, and October. There’s no similar program for Virginia dads facing custody cases.
Can’t afford $197? We can’t offer fee waivers the same way as Second Saturday, because it’s a much more involved seminar. We do, however, offer one scholarship per seminar. To apply for the scholarship, shoot me an email at kcarter@hoflaw.com. What am I looking for? Contrary to popular belief, I’m not looking for the saddest story or the most impoverished mom; I’m looking for the story that convinces me that you’d benefit the most from attending the next seminar. So, tell me a little about your case and what’s going on! I’m all ears.
We’ll make selections two weeks before the seminar, so you can make travel and childcare plans accordingly. The seminar is offered at our Virginia Beach office location, beginning at 9am and lasts until the last woman’s last question is answered.
Simply put? We’re doing all sorts of awesome things to help make sure that Virginia women have the information they need to make big choices. If you’re interested in attending, want to schedule a consultation, or just need more information, give our office a call at 757-425-5200.