Emergency Motions in Virginia Child Custody Cases

There are very few things as anxiety-inducing as having to go to court, but this is especially true in the case of an emergency motion.  In Virginia, one party can file and ask for a hearing to be held on an emergency basis; it is up to the court to either grant or dismiss that...

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  I’ll be the first to admit: I have a bit of an unfair sampling.  As a family law attorney, the cases with which I am familiar are the ones where the individuals involved – or at least one of them – sought the advice of an attorney. I know that not everyone does.  I’m...

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Not all Narcissists Make Divorce Awful

I know, I know.  If you’re married to a narcissist – whether diagnosed or undiagnosed – you KNOW how miserable they can make life.  And, if left to their own devices, they’d probably love to make divorce difficult, too. After all, if there’s one thing a narcissist (or a high conflict person or an abusive...

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  I hope you’ll join us on June 5th as we sponsor another fun-filled evening at the Ocean View Fishing Pier as part of our Girl’s Night Out event series! You can get more information on the event or register to attend here, but I’ll give you a quick run down. What’s Girl’s Night Out? ...

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When in doubt, get a second opinion!

I had a consult the other day where something happened that had never happened to me before.  I spent a very pleasant (for me) hour talking to a prospective client about her upcoming divorce.  (I say it was pleasant for me because I liked her; I assume much less pleasant for her, though, because although...

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Can I draft my own custody agreement?

If you don’t want to have a trial in your court case, you have to settle your case first.  In a divorce or custody context, settlement is achieved when there is a signed agreement negotiated between the parties.  In a divorce case, you would sign and negotiate a separation agreement – a legal contract that...

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Custody cases are interesting because they can come up in a number of ways, unlike divorce.  In a divorce, you have essentially two options: (1) negotiate a signed separation agreement, or (2) litigate in court. Divorce Cases Where Custody is an Issue Divorce is filed in the circuit court. Custody, though, can present differently.  Custody...

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Making the decision to hire a divorce attorney is a difficult one.  Once you’ve reached the already difficult decision to separate and, eventually, to end your marriage, you have to decide whether or not you’ll hire an attorney to represent you in the divorce and then, if so, whom. I probably don’t need to tell...

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