Before I get really going here, let me just lead with the conclusion: Virginia is not a state that is particularly friendly to grandparents when it comes to custody and visitation. That doesn’t mean that grandparents can’t file and ask a court to grant them custody and/or visitation – actually, any non-parent third party could...
When grandparents ask for parenting time
Let’s start with the maybe not-quite-so-obvious. In family law, it doesn’t really matter what “studies” suggests or what the “data” says. We are not making arguments about what is best for many children, or most children, or some randomized, average, but ultimately representative group of children. We are talking only about your children. The children...
The best parenting plans are always the ones that include just enough details to provide parents with a framework for how to move together through the inevitable challenges that coparenting will bring. The best parenting plans don’t just deal with the here and now – though they do a good job with it, because the...
In most cases, both parents will have the opportunity to have uninterrupted, unsupervised parenting time with their minor children, whether by agreement between the parties or by court order. In extreme cases, though, it is possible that the court would order one party or the other to have supervised visitation. This will usually be in...
The legal process is not at all intuitive, so if you’re wondering what to expect – well, that makes a lot of sense. Custody cases are some of the more challenging cases to navigate, too, because they’re handled in juvenile and domestic relations district courts, which – if you’ve had any run ins with the...
There are many different ways that your child’s other parent can try to push the envelope by making you responsible for things that, really, you shouldn’t be solely responsible for if they’re an active and responsible coparent. Extracurriculars are often one of those things. But how do you know if your question is one that...
Navigating coparenting can seem impossible, especially if your ex-partner is particularly difficult. It’s hard not to second guess yourself and to wonder whether, in this or that situation, you have a leg to stand on. You may not have a sense, either, of what a court would do and, in any case, is may not...
Coparenting is not easy. No one ever said it was. And, to make matters worse, parenting isn’t easy, either, so not only do you have an already difficult job – parenting your child – you also add on top of that the fact that you and your child’s father are not necessarily on the same...