Are you separated – and headed towards divorce – or just separated and ultimately hoping to reconcile? Sometimes it’s clear. Other times, though, it’s anything but. In any case, whatever you’re hoping for in the long term, you probably have a lot of questions about what to expect and what you should be doing. That’s...
Advice for Recently Separated Women
Question: My girlfriend is married. They have two kids and jointly own the home that they live in. He’s Navy, but they’re not in military housing – like I said, they own jointly. She had an attorney draft a separation agreement, but he’s ignoring her. He is manipulative and locks her out of the house. ...
Once you realize that your marriage is over, you want the rest of your life to begin as soon as possible. But many women don’t know where to start and what their first steps should be. So, what should you do? In Virginia, you are legally separated when (1) you form the intent to end...
I see this question *all* the time, especially on social media in the various mom groups that I have joined over the years. I never know exactly how to answer it – especially in few enough characters that most casual social media users won’t be bored by me writing an entire treatise – so I...
In general, I feel that the question, “Should I stay or should I go?” is one that is best answered by the specific woman who is questioning whether she should end her marriage. I don’t usually like to weigh in. I may provide some general guidelines or try to give her some food for thought,...
From the outset, let me be clear: you don’t need a reason to end your marriage. If you want a divorce, you can get one. No fault on either party’s part is required. That’s not to say, of course, that no fault exists. I don’t think anyone ends their marriage for no reason. But I...
The good news is that litigated family law cases constitute the vast minority of cases. No matter what the stakes, most cases ultimately settle for a number of reasons but chief among them are these: (1) no one can afford long-term litigation, (2) litigating doesn’t yield better results, and (3) going to court takes longer....
There are only two ways to resolve a divorce or custody case: either the parties negotiate an agreement, or they go to court and litigate. This is true no matter what the issues are, but there is a sort of third, hybrid option, which includes the possibility of a “reservation” with respect to a certain...