A Guardian ad litem is an attorney appointed on behalf of a child in a custody case. We really don’t bring kids to court to testify; there won’t be a moment where the child has to tell the court whether he’d prefer to live with mom or dad. That just doesn’t happen. But, of course,...
Do I Want a Guardian ad Litem Appointed?
If your child’s father has accused you of parental alienation, you’ll want to tread carefully. Even though it’s a really common allegation, and disproving it can be difficult (check out our article from Friday for more information on what parental alienation is and how you can combat an allegation of parental alienation), you will need to...
One of the sharpest swords in a dad’s arsenal when it comes to custody cases is often a parental alienation claim. It’s an easy thing to claim, and it often creates a really tricky “he said, she said” situation that can make it hard to asses the truthfulness of anyone involved. That’s the problem with...
I hate these cases. Really, really hate them. I see moms with some frequency who come in and tell me that they were trying not to make any future issues with custody and visitation, but that their child asked them to intervene for one reason or another. Usually, these children are older teenagers (15+) and...
In a case where custody is litigated in court, there are at least two attorneys. Your attorney, who represents you – and has a duty to represent your cause zealously; and his attorney, who, of course, has the same obligations to your husband that your attorney does to you. It doesn’t matter whether your dad...
The worst has happened. You went to court, and a judge ordered custody to your child’s father. You lost custody. You can’t believe it. You. Lost. Custody. You want to throw up. You’re panicked and terrified. What happens next? How do you get your kids back? What should you do now, and who do you...
Drug or alcohol use can pose problems in a Virginia child custody case, as you can probably pretty well imagine. Judges – who are notoriously conservative, especially in Virginia, and especially when it comes to things like drug use – don’t like it. In Virginia (as in pretty much everywhere), custody cases always comes down...
The downside of the juvenile court is definitely the appeals situation. Well, that’s the downside if you won in the juvenile court, anyway. If you lost at the juvenile court level, well, then, it’s absolutely your right to appeal! (Funny how there are two sides to every coin, right?) But, today, I’m really talking about...