In Virginia, joint legal custody means that coparents have to work together to reach decisions on three main issues: non emergency medical care, education, and religious upbringing. In many cases, we don’t have any issues in any of these three areas though there are some notable exceptions. Sometimes, the issue of vaccinations comes up; in...
Coparenting and Religion
For many people who are in the beginning stages of contemplating a divorce, one of the first steps is a so-called trial separation. During this time, many things can happen but some of the most common are attending marriage counseling, meeting with pastors and other counselors belonging to the couples’ religious faith, meeting with attorneys,...
Everyone is using AI. Heck, I’m using AI. I don’t always use AI, and I don’t use AI instead of writing things myself, like this article. But I do use it sometimes for inspiration, to proof and polish, or even to help fill in gaps. Sometimes, when I can’t find the words (which, I admit,...
Going through a custody case is harrowing in the best circumstances (is that an oxymoron?) but it’s even worse when your soon-to-be ex is an alcoholic or struggles with substance abuse issues. And you know what’s worse than that? Knowing he’s an alcoholic but without having information or evidence to back it up. You’ve seen...
In Virginia, before we divide property in divorce, we classify it as either separate, marital, or hybrid. Separate property is just that – separate – so it is owned by only one party and it is not divided in divorce. Marital property, on the other hand, was either earned, purchased, or acquired during the marriage. ...
In most cases, paternity isn’t a big issue. In most cases, the parties don’t dispute it – and, obviously, there’s hardly ever any issues as it relates to maternity. Right? You know full well you were in the room where it happened. Sure, there can be complications with adoptions or foster care, but that’s not...
I’m married – and I’m a divorce attorney. It’s a bit of an oxymoron, isn’t it? Or is it? I don’t even know anymore. I’m also a pretty connected, online person, so I hear all the chatter (I try to make sure I hear all the chatter) about staying single, getting or staying married, and...
This month, we’re giving the warmest welcome to Brittany Hudgens, the newest attorney in our Virginia Beach office! Brittany is a graduate of Regent University and, most recently, practiced family law (among a few other things) with two other local area law firms. She also worked for a time with the Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney...