I’m biased. I’m a lawyer. I earn my living handling family law cases on behalf of the women who become my clients. Also, because I am a lawyer I also (1) see the people who can’t resolve things on their own (and very few of the people who can), and (2) deal, essentially, in worst-case...
Can I handle my family law case without a lawyer?
Once you have an appointment – like an initial consultation – with a lawyer, that lawyer cannot meet with, give advice to, or represent the opposing party. In a divorce or custody case, if a wife meets with five of the top local divorce attorneys, none of those five will be able to represent her...
Divorce is hard enough in normal circumstances, but when you don’t know where your soon-to-be ex is living, it’s even harder. You may be surprised, too, to find out how often it happens! The biggest issue associated with not knowing where he is has to do with service of process. Basically, it’s a Constitutional requirement. When...
If you’re still hoping to save your marriage, you’re not alone. In fact, that’s something I hear all the time. One thing that I think is universally true is that every single woman who decides to get a divorce has to do everything she feels she has to do in order to try to save...
Divorce is a scary – and potentially expensive – process, so it’s no wonder that you want to explore all of your alternatives before you commit to a specific course of action. Is there any way at all that you can avoid hiring an attorney? Can you use one of the online do it yourself...
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...
Is settlement a dirty word? I definitely think there’s a contingent of people who think that this is the case. Settlement, after all, means compromise – and, in many cases, when you’re head to head with someone in a dispute as deeply personal to you as the terms of your divorce, it can feel a...
I don’t want to be accused of being dramatic, at least not where divorce and safety is concerned. I totally get that this probably isn’t a topic that you want to discuss, but if yours has been a difficult marriage, it’s a good idea to move forward keeping your safety in mind. You absolutely should...