We bought the house after we married – does it mean it’s not mine?

There are so many anxiety-provoking things about the divorce process, it’s hard to speak to them all at once.  Scratch that; I actually think it is literally impossible to speak to all the things at once. Fears about what will happen to the marital assets are rampant among divorcing women.  It probably doesn’t help, either,...

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Virginia Common Law Marriage

In order to qualify for the benefits associated with marriage in Virginia, you’re going to need to actually walk down the aisle and get formally, legally married. Common Law marriage is a concept that has more or less fallen out of fashion and most states don’t recognize any kind of common law marriage designation.  Though...

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If you have a trust fund or received an inheritance – whether before, during, or after your marriage – one of your big concerns when it comes to separation and divorce is probably how to adequately protect that asset. For many families, divorce marks a major turning point in their lives, especially as it relates...

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Virginia Hybrid Property

In Virginia, we have three separate classifications for property: separate, marital, and hybrid.  How property is classified impacts how it will be divided in a divorce. Marital and separate property are clear; what is marital is divided in the divorce, and what is separate belongs to the party who separately owns it. Hybrid property, on...

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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 move out of state while my divorce is processing? We get lots of questions about moving, before, during, and after the divorce – and that makes sense, because it’s such a period of crazy transformation and change. It’s normal to make a series of big changes, from moving out of the marital residence,...

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Divorce and Your Credit Score

  You credit score is probably one of those things that you don’t think about all that often. After all, it’s not like it’s something that you need to use very often. In a divorce, though, I’ve found that it’s often one of the first things that slips. Almost immediately after the parties start to...

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Do I need a Virginia family law attorney if…

  It’s probably no secret to you that an attorney isn’t necessary in absolutely every case ever. In some cases, there’s really no need to hire an attorney – as I was reminded yesterday in a conversation that I had with a really sweet prospective client. The thing is, though, that it’s really hard to...

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