What is discovery in a Virginia child custody case?

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...

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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...

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Virginia Family Law Firms With Payment Plans

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...

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I need a bulldog of a custody lawyer!

Eeks – the word bulldog!  I hate it.  I really do.  But still, time and time again, that’s what people ask for.  A shark.  A bulldog.  A pitbull.  A no-nonsense, take-no-names, kick-ass lawyer. I get it.  The stakes are high.  They’re high in any legal case, but they may be especially high in family law. ...

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Though the laws vary (sometimes dramatically!) from state-to-state, the law in Virginia is that spousal support terminates in three specific circumstances: (1) the death of either party, (2) the remarriage of the recipient party, and (3) the continued cohabitation of the recipient party in a relationship analogous to marriage for a period of one year...

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Post Separation Bonus

Is it time to separate?  That may be a strategic question and not just an emotional one. In Virginia, we classify separate property as anything that was earned, purchased, or acquired before the marriage or after the date of separation.  (We also include anything you inherited in your sole name, anything that was a gift...

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Help! My child calls stepmom ‘mom’ now!

Mom is a special word.  For months, I couldn’t wait until my babies said it back to me – though, to be honest, at this point, I wish they’d use it a little less often over the course of the day.  Still, there’s no question that it’s a special thing to be called.  It’s a...

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Should I file for custody proactively?

It’s scary to break up with your child’s father.  Not only does the breakup itself generally carry some challenges – like moving, separating finances, the possibility of dating again, and more – but knowing that, at some point, you’ll have to work out custody and visitation is also pretty daunting. Not every situation is highly...

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