I used to get lots of questions about common law marriage. Lately, well, not so much – until the other day. A woman asked me what, in my opinion, was a very perceptive question about whether marriage is designed to be a safeguard to protect spouses (and, in particular, lesser earning spouses). Most of the...
Does Virginia recognize common law marriage?
Whether your divorce and custody case is already on track or you’re waiting until the end of the holiday season to begin to move things forward, it’s no easy feat to keep on keeping on in the meantime. As a mom, you still want to make sure that the holidays are as magical for the...
As the only Virginia-based family law firm dedicated to representing women only, we offer a sort of special place in the market. Though there are two other firms dedicated to the representation of men – an easy thing, I think, since men are often the higher wage earners – we’re the only firm that represents...
Just because you and your child’s father share a child (or multiple children) does not mean that you agree about where you should live as you raise them. Divorce often has an immediate impact on a family unit in the sense that one (or both) or the child(ren)’s biological parents would prefer to live somewhere...
If there is a phrase I HATE in family law – along with calling a woman a golddigger – it’s a man referencing being taken to the cleaners. It’s rooted in such, deep, toxic internalized misogyny that it’s hard for me to believe anyone really believes it, but – then again – the world has...
One disservice that I think fault-based divorce does for people who live in states – like Virginia – that allow for fault-based divorce is that it puts them in a frame of mind where proving that someone is to blame for the marriage ending is somehow important. I’ll be clear, right up front: divorce is...
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...
You probably are familiar with the burden of proof required in criminal cases – beyond a reasonable doubt. It is the highest burden of proof possible under the law, and it’s a fundamental component of American justice. You are innocent until you are proven guilty, and you must be so guilty that there is not...