Articles

It’s not the first time I’ve written about JAG attorneys, and it probably won’t be the last, especially given that these same issues keep popping up time and time again in my practice. I’ve said it before: JAG attorneys are usually not licensed in the state in which they are stationed. If you’re military (which...

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Can I just file for divorce for $100?

The other day, I received a question on our Facebook page. It was, essentially, though this is not a direct quote: “How much would it cost to file for divorce if it’s just the paperwork?” Her question is actually a little more complicated (and a little less straightforward) than it might seem. Because she didn’t...

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I hate these cases. Really, really hate them. I see moms with some frequency who come in and tell me that they were trying not to make any future issues with custody and visitation, but that their child asked them to intervene for one reason or another. Usually, these children are older teenagers (15+) and...

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How child support is calculated: Part 2

On Monday, we started talking about child support, and how it’s calculated.  It’s actually pretty straightforward, though the child support guideline figures can vary dramatically, which makes it a refreshing area of law. We ran the guidelines a bunch of different ways, using the same income figures, to show you the difference between one and...

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How is Virginia child support calculated?

Child support is one of those refreshing areas of law where there are black and white, hard and fast answers. As long as we know what numbers – regarding your income and your child’s father’s income, daycare expenses, health care expenses, etc – we can quickly and easily compute child support. From that point, it...

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What is a typical custody schedule?

Well, first off, let me say: there is no such thing as a “typical” custody schedule. Though there are some arrangements that courts (and parents) favor over others, there are literally as many different types of arrangements with respect to custody as there are parents and children out there in the world. There’s no right...

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When your custody case is part of a divorce

Custody cases can take different shapes depending on what the underlying issues are. Basically, there are two types – custody where you and the child’s father weren’t married, and custody where you’re also getting a divorce. Today, we’re going to talk about divorce cases where custody is an issue. Why does it matter if we’re...

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On Friday, I talked about cases where moms allege physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Those cases are super complicated, not to mention incredibly risky. But what about cases where dad’s behavior maybe doesn’t amount all the way to abuse, but it’s careless, irresponsible, or inappropriate under the circumstances? What does a mom do when she...

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