How far can I move when my ex and I have kids in common?

Relocation is one of the trickiest areas of child custody litigation in part because there are no hard and fast answers.  Whether you and your child’s father were married and are not separated and/or divorcing, or whether you were unmarried but share children in common, you will find that your ability to move wherever you...

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How to Argue Against 50/50 Custody

Even though Virginia does not assume 50/50 custody – the statute actually just says that the court must consider all forms of custody equally – it is still often the starting point in many custody cases, especially contested ones. I’m not a fan of automatic 50/50 custody; I think it creates a situation focused on...

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What does a family law case cost? Part Two

It is always hard to ascertain, especially ahead of time, exactly how much your family law case – whether divorce or child custody – will ultimately cost.  Even though I do this day in and day out, and have for over fourteen years now, it’s hard for even me to help give people the “ballpark”...

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Choosing a family lawyer – any lawyer, really – is a difficult proposition, especially when you add to it the fact that, if you’re like most women, you are currently in the middle of one of the most difficult periods of your entire adult life.  This relationship you built your life around, this one you...

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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....

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Going to court is – by almost any metric – the nuclear option in a family law case.  Literally everyone is scared of it and almost anyone would try to avoid it if there was any way at all.  Usually, though not always, it’s possible to negotiate outside of court.  In fact, most family law...

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Do I even want to hire a family law attorney?

It’s okay.  You can be honest.  I know there are a million things you can think of that you would rather do than hire – and pay for – a family law attorney.  You are likely desperate to discover that you do not, in fact, need one at all and that, on balance, handling your...

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Another year, another scholarship competition!  When Kristen D. Hofheimer, owner and managing partner, passed away in 2019 after a long struggle with breast cancer, we wanted to do something to honor her memory. Her dad – Charlie Hofheimer – used to joke about what an intellectual she was; how she turned down a full ride...

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