Emergency Motions in Virginia Child Custody Cases

There are very few things as anxiety-inducing as having to go to court, but this is especially true in the case of an emergency motion.  In Virginia, one party can file and ask for a hearing to be held on an emergency basis; it is up to the court to either grant or dismiss that...

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  There are not many things scarier than finding yourself in an abusive situation – except, of course, if you have minor children who are surrounded by it, too. Once you decide that it’s not getting better and it’s time to do something about it, you probably started researching protective orders.  In Virginia, there are...

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Can I record a conversation in Virginia?

When tensions start to escalate, and it looks like you might be headed towards a divorce or custody case, it’s tempting to want to use whatever methods are available to you to gather the evidence you might need – up to and including recording conversations. But what’s legal varies pretty dramatically from state to state,...

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Virginia Divorce by Affidavit

I found out, 9 years ago today, that I passed the bar. I’ll never forget the day. In that time, I’ve handled a LOT of divorces. A lot of uncontested divorces (LI), in particular. Contested divorces, too, but, in so many cases, even if we start out in court, eventually the parties end up able...

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To cut to the chase and state the obvious as simply as possible: if there’s no custody order in place (as in, you and your child’s father have never (1) been to court to let a judge determine custody, and (2) you’ve never signed an agreement related to custody and visitation), both you and your...

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Continuances in Virginia Divorce

Divorce is inconvenient.  And, sometimes, depending on the circumstances, it can also take a really long time.  There are often delays that we can help.  In other cases, it’s our side who is responsible for the delays, for any number of reasons.  Continuances happen in Virginia divorce – they just do.  Whether we ask for...

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