Dealing with Dysregulated Kids After Dad’s Parenting Time

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...

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The Shapes and Sizes of Virginia Custody Cases

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...

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Can I draft my own custody agreement?

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...

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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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Virginia Custody and Visitation: The Long Haul

  At some point in the past, a judge reached a decision about what custody and visitation arrangement was in the best interests of your child(ren) and, since that time, you and your ex have had to live with it. Either that, or the two of you reached an agreement about custody and visitation, and,...

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50/50 Custody in Virginia

  We get a lot of questions about custody and visitation in Virginia. Does the court assume 50/50 here? Does the court prefer mom? No, the court definitely prefers dad, right? Is there a standard custody arrangement that the court orders? Like, what happens in these cases, anyway? I hear you. It’s like most moms...

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How to talk to your child about parental abuse

Cases where we know – or suspect – that there’s abuse happening are some of the worst for about a million different reasons. If you just take them at face value, there’s the obvious issue that we’re concerned that a child is suffering physical, emotional, or sexual abuse at the hands of their other parent....

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  Child custody is complicated, especially because it’s really never absolutely final. Under Virginia law, anything related to the children, including child custody, visitation, and child support, are always modifiable based on a material change in circumstances, up until the time the child turns 18 and is no longer legally considered a child. School enrollment...

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