Custody and Visitation: Bad Result in Juvenile Court

On Wednesday, we talked about your first custody court date – otherwise known as your initial appearance – in juvenile court. You know, that first date in, where you presented the details to the judge and set a trial date. It’s a common misconception that the first custody court date is going to be the...

Read More

Ballpark Virginia Custody Case Fees

Everyone (and I do mean everyone) wants us to give them just a “ballpark” figure for how much their case might cost. In some cases, that’s an easier thing to do than others. But, even so, costs can be a difficult thing to estimate. There are a lot of variables involved. There are a lot...

Read More

Pro Bono Custody

Everybody wants pro bono help for their custody cases. I know, I know – it’s, like, probably the scariest thing ever, thinking you might lose your kids, especially if dad (or their grandparents, or whoever is fighting you) is abusive or would do everything in their power to keep the kids away from you. It’s...

Read More

Pro Bono Divorce

People call all the time, wanting pro bono divorce help. Though I certainly understand – wanting a divorce is not the same thing as being in a position financially to be able to afford to have a divorce attorney do it – it’s really not something that any law firms I know of actually offer....

Read More

Abandonment and Custody

A woman I met with the other day asked me a good question, “If he abandons us, will that hurt his chances for custody?” She went on to tell me that, thirty some odd years ago, when her mom got divorced, her attorney gave her that advice. Now, facing divorce herself and with a small...

Read More

Your attorney said WHAT?!

Divorce and custody cases are high stress situations.  It’s not very often that I get an email or a call from a client who isn’t feeling pretty frantic.  They want answers, and they want them now, and they can’t sleep until they get them.  They’re so worried, and they don’t know how anything will turn...

Read More

Substance Abuse and Custody

Lots of people struggle with substance abuse.  Lots.  Over the years, I’ve seen many, many women who tell me that they struggled with a drug or alcohol addiction.  I think, because they’re often so used to being judged for the issues that they’ve faced, they fully expect to be told that they won’t be able...

Read More

Let’s face it, one day, you’ll date again. For some, of course, it happens much sooner than others but, in the majority of cases, it happens. If you have children with your ex, no matter what else might happen, dating because exponentially more difficult. How do you talk about new boyfriends with the children? When...

Read More