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?
Once you have an appointment – like an initial consultation – with a lawyer, that lawyer cannot meet with, give advice to, or represent the opposing party. In a divorce or custody case, if a wife meets with five of the top local divorce attorneys, none of those five will be able to represent her...
Kids keep you busy. If it’s not one season, it’s another. And between the after-school events, social activities, birthday parties, sports, summer camps, classes, and other activities, it can be overwhelming shuttling the kids to and from all of it. Keeping up with the calendar alone can be challenging enough, but for separated and divorced...
Divorce is hard enough in normal circumstances, but when you don’t know where your soon-to-be ex is living, it’s even harder. You may be surprised, too, to find out how often it happens! The biggest issue associated with not knowing where he is has to do with service of process. Basically, it’s a Constitutional requirement. When...
Being a family lawyer who represents women only – believe it or not – is not all sunshine and rainbows and fighting against narcissistic or abusive husbands. I know. You’re shocked. Sometimes, it’s really, really hard. And one of the times when it’s the hardest is when you have to give advice to your client...
Spousal support is always – always – a hot button issue. There are very few things we can say ‘always’ about in family law, but the fact that spousal support is contentious is pretty much a given. No one wants to pay it. It’s also not something that is awarded in every case. There...
In Equitable Distribution, the legal process through which we divide the assets and liabilities of a marriage between the parties, the court doesn’t automatically assume a 50/50 split. This is different than states that follow a Community Property model of division. In equitable distribution (or ED, as we sometimes call it), it’s almost like...
We can all put divorce right up there on the tippy top of the list of things we don’t want to pay for, right? Even if you want the divorce itself, you don’t really want to pay the costs associated with it. A joke I hear all the time – especially when I tell random...