To put him on child support or to NOT put him on child support – that is the question! It’s a legitimate question, too, because filing a petition for child support can open the door to more custody litigation. Let’s talk about it. Filing petitions for child custody, visitation, and child support In Virginia, if...
Do I need to put my child’s father on child support?
Online, you’ll find any number of so-called (self-proclaimed) experts in family law. From divorce coaches to mediators to regular parents who’ve just been through a (usually high conflict) divorce or custody case themselves. This is often great. Divorce coaches can do things – and give advice – that I can’t in the sense that it...
As soon as your child’s father realizes the connection between parenting time and child support – basically, the more time he takes, the less he’ll pay – he’ll probably start asking for more time, whether he actually wants more time or not. So, the immediate, and natural, reaction most moms have is, “Well, what if...
One of the most difficult parts of child custody litigation is that it can be virtually never ending. Since custody, visitation, and child support are modifiable based on a material change in circumstances, you can – theoretically, at least – find yourself in court again and again, at least until you children turn 18 and...
Coparenting is not easy. No one ever said it was. And, to make matters worse, parenting isn’t easy, either, so not only do you have an already difficult job – parenting your child – you also add on top of that the fact that you and your child’s father are not necessarily on the same...
A common theme in coparenting is how difficult it is for kids and coparents to transition between each parent’s separate parenting time. This is probably especially true in the early stages of coparenting – though it generally settles down for many families – but, in some cases, visitation exchanges are always disruptive. Some kids (like...
Custody cases can be complicated, in some ways, because they can take different shapes depending on the issues involved – and because different types of rules apply to different types of cases. What can a Virginia custody case look like? Custody Case as Part of a Divorce Action Custody and visitation cases often come up...
If you don’t want to have a trial in your court case, you have to settle your case first. In a divorce or custody context, settlement is achieved when there is a signed agreement negotiated between the parties. In a divorce case, you would sign and negotiate a separation agreement – a legal contract that...