Parentification in Virginia Divorce and Custody Cases

  Emotionally, going through a divorce or custody case (or, worse, a divorce AND custody case) is easily one of the most difficult things that you will face in your adult life.  Many therapists even liken the experience of going through divorce to a death – it’s just that traumatic. Even a good divorce –...

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I need a bulldog of a custody lawyer!

Eeks – the word bulldog!  I hate it.  I really do.  But still, time and time again, that’s what people ask for.  A shark.  A bulldog.  A pitbull.  A no-nonsense, take-no-names, kick-ass lawyer. I get it.  The stakes are high.  They’re high in any legal case, but they may be especially high in family law. ...

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Can we reconcile and avoid Virginia divorce?

If you’re still hoping to save your marriage, you’re not alone.  In fact, that’s something I hear all the time.  One thing that I think is universally true is that every single woman who decides to get a divorce has to do everything she feels she has to do in order to try to save...

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Few things in the world are scarier than facing a custody and visitation case.  Few things, too, are more difficult to gather up-to-date, state-specific information about – at least, if the information you’re looking for is also credible. There are a lot of non-attorneys out there offering advice and opinions, much of which – though...

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New Year, New Divorce Filing

Divorce is, historically speaking, one of the busiest months of the year for divorce.  For the most part, November and December are generally the slowest; after all, who wants to get divorced during the holidays? It’s not so much that I think divorce is somehow tied to a new year’s resolution – though it certainly...

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Mediation v. Settlement Conference

Even when it’s only for a relatively short period, the time that exists in the space between when you and your soon-to-be ex decide to separate and when you reach a signed separation agreement is a particularly painful, anxiety-filled one. All the while that you’re hoping, desperately hoping, that you’ll be able to resolve things...

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Divorce is a scary – and potentially expensive – process, so it’s no wonder that you want to explore all of your alternatives before you commit to a specific course of action.  Is there any way at all that you can avoid hiring an attorney?  Can you use one of the online do it yourself...

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In Virginia, there is no requirement that you hire an attorney to represent you in a divorce or custody case, whether at the juvenile or circuit court level (or even beyond, if your case merits an appeal). If you choose not to hire an attorney, you represent yourself.  We call people who represent themselves pro...

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