Family law cases – often involving divorce, child custody, child support and spousal support – are often very invasive. In discovery, the legal process that we use to determine what the issues are in an ongoing case that has been filed with the court, we often ask for all sorts of documents. In a divorce...
How can I protect my private info in my divorce or child custody case?
One of the biggest risk factors for women in divorce is the fact that, statistically speaking, they are the lesser wage earners. This means that, in many cases, many of the most valuable assets are largely controlled by the husband – including, but not limited to, any real estate, retirement accounts, bank accounts, and...
Not everyone has parents to go home to, but for the lucky few the siren call can be strong. When things start to go badly in your marriage, it’s tempting to want to go back to a place of safety and security. But can you just … leave? Is it that simple? Well, hold...
Not every case can be negotiated – this we all know. But, in an ideal world, you and your soon-to-be ex would negotiate, because this is going to give you the most control over how your case will be resolved. No matter what issues are involved, you have essentially two options: agree, or go to...
Discovery – whether as part of a divorce or a child custody case – is essentially the same. It’s the legal process we use to determine and gain access to the information that we don’t have. In a divorce case, much of the information we’re looking for is financial, especially if our client has stayed...
Is it time to separate? That may be a strategic question and not just an emotional one. In Virginia, we classify separate property as anything that was earned, purchased, or acquired before the marriage or after the date of separation. (We also include anything you inherited in your sole name, anything that was a gift...
I think most parents know that they really shouldn’t be giving their children information about their ongoing divorce or custody case, especially if what they’re saying is (1) a lie, or (2) disparaging to the other parent. And, yet, it still happens. Like, every day. You’re human. He’s human. You’re under incredible amounts of...
Hiring a lawyer is expensive, not to mention intimidating. Depending on the circumstances, there can be a million different reasons why you can’t really afford to have someone completely handle your entire case from beginning to end – especially since it’s really difficult, ahead of time, to get an accurate estimate of what the case...