No matter what your personal financial situation, the cost of a divorce is intimidating. Not so much because the actual cost is so great (though it certainly can be), but because it’s unknown. It’s not like buying a pair of shoes, where you can see that if you buy them at Amazon you’ll pay some...
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In the election last month, one of my best friends was elected as prosecutor in her county. (She’s actually the first woman to have been elected in her county, ever – but, for my purposes today, a little beside the point.) It got me doing a little research into the local government and court structure...
The questions whether and how long you’ll need to be separated to get a divorce in Virginia are well settled, easy, and very, very clear. In case you’re new to the game, in Virginia you have to be separated for a full year whether you’re using fault or no fault grounds (with the exception of...
You might be surprised to hear that I have scads of clients who, when I email, don’t respond for a week or more. I have clients who retain and, in a flurry of activity, work with me to prepare a first draft of a separation agreement, which goes untouched (on their part, mind you) for...
Divorce can take several different shapes, although the end result is fairly simple: either you get divorced with a separation agreement, or you litigate your divorce in court and the judge decides. A separation agreement is a legal contract that divides all the assets and responsibilities from the marriage between the parties. Most people ultimately...
Sometimes, I feel really technical when I talk about adultery. I say when someone “commits” adultery, and I always feel weird about it, because that’s not how people talk. And I often get questions about exactly what it means, which is understandable – it’s a technical term, like cohabitation and equitable distribution. Lawyers use it...
I’ve written about spousal support SO MUCH, and that’s mostly because it’s one of those areas of law that is not at all set in stone. There are things we don’t litigate all that much – like retirement, the marital home, and child support, for example – but there are other things, like spousal...
There’s never a good time to go through a divorce or custody case, but probably one of the most difficult times to do so is during the holiday season. Though I think it’s true that most families fall into a rhythm over time with their parenting plans, there’s also a season of life where it’s...