It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while there’s a terrible storm – or the threat of a terrible storm. When you have a parenting plan or a custody order in place, you’re supposed to follow it. But does a storm create an exception? Let’s talk about it. Life is anything but predictable,...
The weather is bad – do I have to send the kids to dad’s?
Question: My child’s father and I share custody. Our child is involved in a number of activities and there are practices, games, recitals, meets, and more, all on a regular basis. I’ve always taken the child to everything, and I’ve never missed a game or performance, but now that we’re divorced, my child’s father is...
Drug and alcohol are a major issue in divorce and child custody cases – and it’s one of the things that, in my experience, both Guardians ad litem and judges take seriously because it is very clearly and obviously not in the best interests of a child (or children) to be in the care of...
There are all sorts of different words that attorneys, judges, Guardians ad litem, divorce coaches, and others in the family law space use to describe the tools that we utilize in divorce and custody cases. A ‘parenting plan’ is a good example, because it’s one you hear over and over, but it’s also one that...
Relocation is one of the trickiest areas of child custody litigation in part because there are no hard and fast answers. Whether you and your child’s father were married and are not separated and/or divorcing, or whether you were unmarried but share children in common, you will find that your ability to move wherever you...
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...
All parents worry about what will happen to their kids when they pass away, but that fear is definitely greater for parents of minor children. I’d argue that, probably, for parents of children who are not together anymore, the fear even greater still. Especially if you’re the primary parent, you worry about what will happen...
I love easy questions but, in family law, I get so few of them that when I do see a truly easy question with a truly easy answer, I almost can’t believe my luck. The short answer is no, you do not have to be flexible with your child’s father when he asks for changes...