You think you know Virginia divorce law?

You think you know Virginia divorce law?

I see misinformation everywhere, almost every single day.  It seems like, when it comes to legal advice, almost everyone thinks they know all the answers – and they’re comfortable enough to tell other people what they should do, too. The thing is, though, that they’re often wrong. Just today I saw some divorce coach on...

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  I’ll be the first to admit: I have a bit of an unfair sampling.  As a family law attorney, the cases with which I am familiar are the ones where the individuals involved – or at least one of them – sought the advice of an attorney. I know that not everyone does.  I’m...

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When in doubt, get a second opinion!

I had a consult the other day where something happened that had never happened to me before.  I spent a very pleasant (for me) hour talking to a prospective client about her upcoming divorce.  (I say it was pleasant for me because I liked her; I assume much less pleasant for her, though, because although...

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Making the decision to hire a divorce attorney is a difficult one.  Once you’ve reached the already difficult decision to separate and, eventually, to end your marriage, you have to decide whether or not you’ll hire an attorney to represent you in the divorce and then, if so, whom. I probably don’t need to tell...

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New Year, New Divorce Filing

Divorce is, historically speaking, one of the busiest months of the year for divorce.  For the most part, November and December are generally the slowest; after all, who wants to get divorced during the holidays? It’s not so much that I think divorce is somehow tied to a new year’s resolution – though it certainly...

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Should I negotiate my divorce?

Is settlement a dirty word?  I definitely think there’s a contingent of people who think that this is the case.  Settlement, after all, means compromise – and, in many cases, when you’re head to head with someone in a dispute as deeply personal to you as the terms of your divorce, it can feel a...

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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...

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I got this question for the first time the other day – how do I prepare for an initial consultation – and I realized it’s something that I hadn’t specifically written on before. I’ve written about whether you can bring someone with you, what documents you should bring, what to expect, and so on, but...

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