You can get a court order establishing child support in one of two ways. One: You can file a petition with the juvenile court for custody, visitation, and/or child support, go to court, and ask the court to establish child support (as well as, potentially, custody and visitation). This can be either an initial...
Nonpayment of Child Support
No matter how long you were married, the assets you generated in your marriage matter. Not only will you never be younger, but – if you waive too much – you’ll never have the chance to take advantage of compounding interest. That can be the difference between being able to retire and … not. Sure,...
There is so much confusion around family law and all the different ways that cases can come up. Sometimes, it’s a matter of divorce; in othercases, it’s just custody. It’s seldom the question of something seemingly simple – like an annulment – but it is possible that you could just breakup, if you were never...
Just because you and your child’s father share a child (or multiple children) does not mean that you agree about where you should live as you raise them. Divorce often has an immediate impact on a family unit in the sense that one (or both) or the child(ren)’s biological parents would prefer to live somewhere...
Things can be especially tricky in that gray area between separation and the time that you and your soon-to-be ex are able to get a signed agreement or court order in place. Until that time – when you either negotiate and sign an agreement or go to court and the judge puts an order in...
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...
One of the most misunderstood elements of a custody case is the role of the Guardian ad litem. A Guardian ad litem is an attorney – not a child welfare expert, a therapist, or a developmental specialist – appointed to represent the interests of the child to the court. Though, in many cases, the parents...
Question: I admit – I sometimes ‘bop’ my children on the bottom when they aren’t listening. My child’s father, who has been largely uninvolved, has told my children that this is child abuse, and says he will call CPS if he hears that it ever happens again. Because of this, my children are being...