If you’re planning on leaving and you want custody, you should be prepared to take the kids with you when you go, especially if you’re afraid that your divorce will be contested. When a contested divorce is filed with the court, one of the first steps is to schedule a pendente lite hearing. Pendente lite...
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The laws governing divorce are different in every state. There may be some similarities, particularly when it comes to states that are geographically close to others, but not necessarily. Different states have different rules about what’s required of you in a divorce case. In Virginia, for example, we have fault-based divorces and no-fault divorces and,...
I probably don’t need to tell you that, the more you cooperate with your child’s father, the more flexible he’ll be with you. When it comes to custody and visitation (probably two of the most emotionally charged issues in any divorce where children are involved), it can be tricky to negotiate a solution that takes...
Your child’s age and maturity level helps dictate what kind of custody and visitation schedule would be appropriate. At different points in their development, different schedules will be necessary and, if your child is young, you’ll have to accept the notion that you’ll have to grow, adjust, and change your schedule to suit her. Keeping...
Your child’s father will have a child support obligation to your children until your child turns 19 or graduates high school, whichever occurs first. If your children are young, that’s a long time. Even when you and your husband were together, you probably worried about how you’d afford to give your children everything you always...
On Wednesday, we talked about how critically important it is to draft custody and visitation arrangements, so that both you and your child’s father know what to expect and learn to co-parent together. While it’s incredibly important to start out with a custody and visitation plan in mind, it’s also important to keep in mind...
Drafting custody and visitation agreements is no walk in the park. It’s a difficult thing to talk about and a difficult thing to negotiate. When you’re used to having your children all the time, and being able to spend every holiday, birthday, and special event with them, it’s hard to imagine agreeing to a scenario...
If you and your soon-to-be ex have children in common, custody, support, and visitation are the issues that have probably taken center stage. It’s unnerving to think that the changes you’re making are going to affect your children in such a profound way, so you try to think of all the ways you can possibly...