From the beginning, let me be clear: in Virginia, there is no law requiring that custody start out at 50/50. Though that is the law in some states, that is not the law here. Here, the law is that the judge has to consider all forms of custody – primary, shared, and split physical custody...
Is 50/50 child custody best for children?
Mediation can be a cost effective way to resolve issues without having to go to court, but it’s still nice to be able to choose whether (or not) to participate in any mediated processes. For one thing, mediators vary wildly – some are attorneys though most are not; some have familiarity with difficult personalities and...
Not everyone can afford to hire an attorney but, when it comes to a divorce or custody case, almost everyone needs at least some legal advice. There are very few options when it comes to complete and total pro bono representation, too, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities to get your questions asked...
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...
Our former managing partner, Kristen D. Hofheimer, passed away in January of 2019 following a long battle with breast cancer. For many of us – myself included – Kristen was more than just a coworker; she was a mentor and a friend. She was also one of the leading forces that drove much of our...
Custody cases can be complicated, in some ways, because they can take different shapes depending on the issues involved – and because different types of rules apply to different types of cases. What can a Virginia custody case look like? Custody Case as Part of a Divorce Action Custody and visitation cases often come up...
The whole point of a legal contract – any contract – is to establish specific terms governing a certain situation. When we’re talking about divorce, we use a separation agreement. When it comes to custody and visitation, we’re either talking about an initial determination or a modification, but the same goal exists: to agree, rather...
It’s hard to transition from having custody of your child full time to sharing custody, no matter what specific allocation of time your child’s father gets. Sharing holidays is a challenge, especially when you consider that it means that there will be major holidays that you’ll spend alone. Any deviation from the standard schedule...
