Knowing which court does what and where to file your petitions is anything but easy, especially in family law. Our cases are handled both in the juvenile courts AND the circuit courts, and there can be some interplay between the two, depending on the specifics of each case. Let’s talk about it. What petitions do...
Juvenile Court v. Circuit Court: Where Do I File?
There’s a lot of Latin in the law and, what with it being a dead language and all, there are very few people who speak or understand Latin, beyond the obvious ‘habeas corpus’ stuff. It’s kind of interesting how often we come up against Latin terms and phrases to describe things in the law;...
Hiring a lawyer is expensive, not to mention intimidating. Depending on the circumstances, there can be a million different reasons why you can’t really afford to have someone completely handle your entire case from beginning to end – especially since it’s really difficult, ahead of time, to get an accurate estimate of what the case...
Everyone wants to DIY their divorce – that is, until they realize exactly what’s involved! We get requests all the time for copies of the forms that are needed in order to finalize a divorce in Virginia. But the truth is, it’s really not that easy! And it’s not one size fits all. It’s not...
Considering it’s a dead language, there’s an awful lot of Latin in the law. Since so many of us are not Latin speaking, it can make reading the law, cases, and even general information about the law difficult – or, worse, nearly completely incomprehensible. Understanding the direct translation of a phrase doesn’t necessarily enhance...
One of the biggest thorns in my side is an unrepresented husband. Only just this morning, I received an email from a husband who consistently refuses to sign an attorney who told me he wanted something drawn up that said his wife wouldn’t violate the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act or pursue judgments while he was...
Probably one of my absolute least favorite things in the entire world is when I have a consultation, and she tells me that she has court next week (or tomorrow, or in two days). So, yeah, next week is always kind of tricky – especially if your court hearing would require any kind of preparation...
Women ask me all the time whether they can represent themselves in their custody cases. I get it – attorneys are expensive. And probably fairly intimidating, especially if you don’t have much experience with the process. Technically, the answer is yes. You are allowed to represent yourself in a divorce or custody case (because, of...