If you’ve found your way to this page, you probably already know that, in most jurisdictions, it can take several months to get a hearing schedule on custody and visitation petitions with a juvenile court. In Chesapeake, for example, it takes 90 days for the court to review the petitions, and usually another 90 to...
Emergency Custody Hearings
I hear the same objection all the time: “But my husband says he won’t sign an agreement unless I waive child support.” They’re upset. They’re scared. They don’t know what to do. Most are loathe to accept any kind of financial assistance from their child’s father anyway, but they’re still not quite sure how they’ll...
I often find that, when reaching a separation agreement isn’t as easy as previously thought, many people (especially those who had hoped to navigate their divorce without the assistance of attorneys) find themselves filing for custody. Though I can certainly understand the appeal of this (after all, custody is THE biggest issue in cases where...
On Wednesday, we talked about your first custody court date – otherwise known as your initial appearance – in juvenile court. You know, that first date in, where you presented the details to the judge and set a trial date. It’s a common misconception that the first custody court date is going to be the...
Custody cases are scary, and, whether you’ve hired an attorney or are hoping to handle your case yourself, you probably have a lot of questions about what to expect. Obviously, you’ve also heard that there’s a seminar for Virginia moms facing custody cases, so now you’re probably wondering whether a Virginia custody seminar is going...
On Monday, we talked about how good moms can lose custody. It happens all the time, and I’m always surprised at how many moms don’t take custody cases seriously, and wind up losing custody of their kids. They fall prey to some of the common mistakes we discussed on Monday, and they’re left with...
Whether you or your child’s father originally filed custody petitions, it’s a pretty scary process. If he has an attorney and you don’t, it’s probably especially scary. Though there’s no rule that says you have to have an attorney in any divorce or custody cases in Virginia, navigating the system on your own can be...
As far as things go, child support is one of the easiest issues we deal with in our practice. In a lot of ways, it’s so cut and dry that we don’t spend a lot of time talking about it. That doesn’t mean, though, that you’re not wondering about it—after all, it’s all new to...