It happens – even to us. Bad reviews on public platforms – like Google or social media – are something that most businesses have to navigate. It’s a hard thing, especially when you know how hard you work to give each client the attention they deserve, but even more so when you know that new...
Navigating a family law attorney’s bad reviews
Even though Virginia does not assume 50/50 custody – the statute actually just says that the court must consider all forms of custody equally – it is still often the starting point in many custody cases, especially contested ones. I’m not a fan of automatic 50/50 custody; I think it creates a situation focused on...
Going to court is – by almost any metric – the nuclear option in a family law case. Literally everyone is scared of it and almost anyone would try to avoid it if there was any way at all. Usually, though not always, it’s possible to negotiate outside of court. In fact, most family law...
A major misconception about annulments is that they’re easily granted when the marriage has only lasted a short period of time. A marriage of a few hours – or even a few weeks or months – doesn’t necessarily qualify for an annulment. By contrast, even, a longer term marriage could, potentially, qualify for an annulment...
Everyone wants a “ballpark” estimate for how much their family law case is going to cost and – who am I kidding? – I can completely understand. It’s awful to feel like your divorce or custody case, and the corresponding legal representation, is some kind of terrifying blank check. It could cost $5,000; it could...
Discovery – whether as part of a divorce or a child custody case – is essentially the same. It’s the legal process we use to determine and gain access to the information that we don’t have. In a divorce case, much of the information we’re looking for is financial, especially if our client has stayed...
I’m biased. I’m a lawyer. I earn my living handling family law cases on behalf of the women who become my clients. Also, because I am a lawyer I also (1) see the people who can’t resolve things on their own (and very few of the people who can), and (2) deal, essentially, in worst-case...
I don’t want to mislead you, so I’ll tell you from the first sentence: I am not aware of any reputable Hampton Roads, Virginia-based family law attorneys that take payment plans. I know – hiring an attorney is expensive. Generally speaking, family law attorneys work on retainers, which means that you have to pay a...