A GAL is a Guardian ad litem. A Guardian ad litem is an attorney appointed by the court to represent a person who, legally at least, is considered unable to represent themselves. In Virginia, we see GALs appointed in a couple of different scenarios – in cases where a party is incarcerated or where they...
Who – or what – is a Guardian ad litem?
It happens – even to us. Bad reviews on public platforms – like Google or social media – are something that most businesses have to navigate. It’s a hard thing, especially when you know how hard you work to give each client the attention they deserve, but even more so when you know that new...
Same old, same old, am I right? I know there are arguments here on both sides – moms only want custody because they want the child support and dads only want more parenting time because they want to pay less child support. But, the truth is, it’s really easy to tell who is most motivated...
It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while there’s a terrible storm – or the threat of a terrible storm. When you have a parenting plan or a custody order in place, you’re supposed to follow it. But does a storm create an exception? Let’s talk about it. Life is anything but predictable,...
Question: My child’s father and I share custody. Our child is involved in a number of activities and there are practices, games, recitals, meets, and more, all on a regular basis. I’ve always taken the child to everything, and I’ve never missed a game or performance, but now that we’re divorced, my child’s father is...
The short answer is yes – you can choose to give your child your last name at birth. The longer answer, of course, is that this can be complicated. For unmarried mothers, particularly ones who exclude their child’s father from the birth, this is easier. We don’t necessarily assume that a child should be given...
There are all sorts of different words that attorneys, judges, Guardians ad litem, divorce coaches, and others in the family law space use to describe the tools that we utilize in divorce and custody cases. A ‘parenting plan’ is a good example, because it’s one you hear over and over, but it’s also one that...
Choosing a family lawyer – any lawyer, really – is a difficult proposition, especially when you add to it the fact that, if you’re like most women, you are currently in the middle of one of the most difficult periods of your entire adult life. This relationship you built your life around, this one you...