In a divorce, we divide marital property. What constitutes marital property can vary from state to state, so you should familiarize yourself with the laws in your particular state – or Commonwealth, as in the case of Virginia, where I practice. Though I imagine that the words may vary but the specific application is similar...
Marital and Hybrid Property in Virginia Divorce
Everyone wants an aggressive attorney. A pit bull. A shark. Those are the terms I hear the most often. “Someone who’ll fight for me,” they say. I get it! Obviously, when you hire an attorney, you want to feel like that person is cool and confident, and will have your back in any situation. ...
You’ve been married a really long time. At this point, probably almost every asset (or liability) you can think of is one that was earned, purchased, or acquired during the marriage. While it doesn’t have to be harder to end a longer marriage as opposed to a shorter one, there are often a lot...
By any reckoning, 15 years is a fairly lengthy marriage. At some point – and I’d theorize that’s somewhere along the ten year mark – there comes a time when, even if you break up, you and your soon-to-be ex owe something to each other. The longer the marriage, the more difficult it is to...
Hey, it’s okay! If you only recently got married, and you’ve started to think that maybe it was a mistake, I can tell you that you’re definitely not alone. In fact, I think you’re one of the luckier ones. After a year or less, there’s often very little to divide, and no one is so...
Maybe you suspect things will be difficult. Maybe he’s refusing outright to sign anything that you prepare. Maybe there’s legitimately nothing to divide in your divorce. For whatever reason, you tell your attorney, “I don’t want anything from him – anything at all – except a divorce.” When people tell me that, it makes...
I’m always surprised at just how many people maintain separate bank accounts throughout the entirety of their marriage. Though I definitely understand the desire to keep things separate – and maybe to share expenses in a mutually owned household account – I do think that it often causes confusion about what is marital property...
Does it matter who files first in Virginia divorce or custody? I was recently reading a book, “The Respondent”, about a dad who faced a divorce and ongoing custody battle in California, allegedly as a result of the lies his wife told about his relationship with his two young boys. I have a lot of...