Articles

October Girl’s Night Out at Amplitude Karaoke

Just a week or so ago, a really large group of us gathered together on the top deck at the Ocean View Fishing Pier in Ocean View, Norfolk.  It’s such a cool venue (if you haven’t been there, you really should go!) and we always have a really good turnout.  Maybe it’s the time of...

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Parental Kidnapping in Virginia

It happens semi regularly that we end up with a client who has moved with her child (or children) to another state over dad’s objection.  If dad doesn’t care, it’s not a really big deal.  If he does, though, and he files an emergency petition for custody, you could find yourself up the proverbial creek...

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In many ways, contested or uncontested, your divorce is a negotiation.  In most cases, regardless of whether you initially file on fault, your divorce will ultimately be settled.  That’s not a dig; in fact, it’s an ideal situation.  Rather than leaving it up to a judge, you and your husband can reach an agreement about...

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Custody cases are some of the hardest.  Even in cases that – to me, at least – seem more or less routine, there’s still the fact that parents who otherwise would have had (and probably did have, up until recently) complete autonomy over how their children were going to be raised are going to suddenly...

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In many marriages, the house is the biggest asset.  In others, it can be the biggest liability.  Either way—asset or liability—the way the house is handled in divorce is a really big deal.  Whether you want it, he wants it, or you just want it gone, the marital residence is a biggie. Whether you want...

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Virginia child custody in separation agreements

Separation agreements are great, because they allow parties to reach an agreement about how their divorce will be handled, rather than litigating things and ultimately leaving it up to a judge to decide.  Judges are super smart and all that, but (1) they don’t know your case as well as you do, and (2) don’t...

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Why file on fault in Virginia divorce

I spend a lot of time preaching about separation agreements.  Obviously–see here, here, and here, for more information.  I talk a lot about how useful they are, how much control they give parties over the way their assets will be divided, and the benefits of spending less on attorney’s fees (so you have more for...

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What to expect at a judicial settlement conference Judicial settlement conferences can happen for a couple of different reasons.  If your divorce is contested, oftentimes courts require that you have a judicial settlement conference before your trial, in an attempt to encourage the parties to settle on their own without the judge’s involvement.  (If your...

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