One of the most difficult parts of child custody litigation is that it can be virtually never ending. Since custody, visitation, and child support are modifiable based on a material change in circumstances, you can – theoretically, at least – find yourself in court again and again, at least until you children turn 18 and...
Can I represent myself in a Virginia child custody case?
There are so many anxiety-provoking things about the divorce process, it’s hard to speak to them all at once. Scratch that; I actually think it is literally impossible to speak to all the things at once. Fears about what will happen to the marital assets are rampant among divorcing women. It probably doesn’t help, either,...
Divorce is a challenge, no matter what. There are, though, some cases that are even more difficult than normal. It can be hard, in the very early days, to accurately judge a case and determine whether *this* case will be one of the more difficult ones. One of the hardest things to navigate – in...
Everyone wants a “ballpark” estimate for how much their family law case is going to cost and – who am I kidding? – I can completely understand. It’s awful to feel like your divorce or custody case, and the corresponding legal representation, is some kind of terrifying blank check. It could cost $5,000; it could...
Family law cases can be a little more confusing than cases in other areas of law because – depending on the type of case – you might find yourself in either circuit court or juvenile court. Though some states call juvenile court ‘family court,’ and I’ve found that’s the way a lot of people refer...
The legal process is not at all intuitive, so if you’re wondering what to expect – well, that makes a lot of sense. Custody cases are some of the more challenging cases to navigate, too, because they’re handled in juvenile and domestic relations district courts, which – if you’ve had any run ins with the...
If you’re here, you probably already know that you have to be separated for one year to get a divorce in Virginia. The only two exceptions are if (1) you have a signed separation agreement, and (2) you have no minor children born or adopted by the parties of the marriage, and if (and this...
For a long time, I thought the ten year myth – the idea that you had to be married for ten years to be entitled to a portion of the military retirement – was limited to military divorces only. Please note, of course, that I called it a MYTH. I didn’t realize that many civilians...