Depending on how long you’ve waited – and how soon your trial is – you won’t have all available options if you wait until the last minute. There is no specific legal right to assistance of counsel in family law cases (unlike in criminal cases) so, for the most part, if you can’t afford an...
Help! My trial is coming up and I want to hire an attorney now!
To put him on child support or to NOT put him on child support – that is the question! It’s a legitimate question, too, because filing a petition for child support can open the door to more custody litigation. Let’s talk about it. Filing petitions for child custody, visitation, and child support In Virginia, if...
Online, you’ll find any number of so-called (self-proclaimed) experts in family law. From divorce coaches to mediators to regular parents who’ve just been through a (usually high conflict) divorce or custody case themselves. This is often great. Divorce coaches can do things – and give advice – that I can’t in the sense that it...
It’s not superficial to be concerned with the way you present in public and, whether fortunately or unfortunately, the sartorial choices you’re making matter. They matter across the board, but it definitely matters if you’re going to court in your family law case. Full disclosure: Virginia doesn’t technically have “family court,” or, at least, that’s...
Navigating a new – or even a long term – coparenting relationship is challenging no matter what, but it’s especially challenging when you know (or suspect) that your child’s father does not have all the things in his home that he really needs to welcome the kids on his parenting time. So, what do you...
It’s a tale as old as time, I’m afraid. Ever since child support guidelines have been tied to the amount of parenting time that each parent gets, all sorts of disputes have come up about who gets what time and what, exactly, that time looks like. The other day, I shared an article about how...
It happens all the time. He just wants to be a dad, he says, so he asks for 50/50 – only for you to find out that his version of 50/50 means that he puts the kids in childcare, tries to lump this cost into the child support guideline, and doesn’t care that you are...
In general, custody and visitation for grandparents and other non-parent third parties (aunts, uncles, family friends, stepparents, etc.) is pretty well established. Though they can petition the court for custody and visitation, they have to meet a different standard than parents. Between two biological or adoptive parents, the standard is the best interests of the...