In divorce, some things are negotiable, and other things just aren’t. It’s a good idea to speak with an attorney before you enter into negotiations with your husband, just so that you’re aware of where the negotiating points are. In my experience, people who don’t tend to give away things that they should never give...
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The holidays are around the corner, which means that our office will soon be buzzing as we work to figure out everyone’s holiday custody and visitation schedules. Most of the year, custody and visitation (at least, for most people) is handled relatively quickly and easily. With the holidays in full view, however, all bets are...
It’s not easy to get divorced. No one ever said it was easy, of course, but I think sometimes, when you’re looking down the road ahead and imagining what each stop along the way is going to feel like, it’s the most intimidating thing imaginable. Why is it so easy to let your mind wander...
On Monday, we talked about your options if you’re planning on handling your divorce case without hiring an attorney. In Virginia, like I said the other day, you’re welcome to represent yourself in the court without an attorney—there aren’t any rules against it. Of course, depending on what type of case you’re facing, it may...
There’s nothing stopping you, right this minute, from marching down to the courthouse and filing your complaint for divorce. Or, alternatively, filing petitions for custody, support, and visitation in the juvenile court. In Virginia, you can represent yourself in the courts in a divorce or custody action. You don’t have to hire an attorney to...
Your intuition is that little nagging voice in the back of your mind that helps you sense danger. Sometimes, it’s innocuous and unnecessary, like when it reminds you to check, for the millionth time, to see whether your hair straightener is actually turned off before you leave for work. Other times, it drives you to...
In Virginia, a divorce formally begins when one party files a complaint with the court. Until you file your complaint, the court has no idea that you’re separated, talking about divorce, or, really, anything other than one of millions of other happily married couples. The complaint is the document that opens up your divorce case,...
If things aren’t going to go smoothly in your Virginia divorce, we usually figure it out pretty early on in your divorce. Most of the time, if a husband proves to be difficult from the beginning and we have fault based grounds that we can use, we’ll just go ahead and file a complaint. In...