He doesn’t want custody – he just doesn’t want to pay child support!

Same old, same old, am I right?  I know there are arguments here on both sides – moms only want custody because they want the child support and dads only want more parenting time because they want to pay less child support. But, the truth is, it’s really easy to tell who is most motivated...

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In Virginia, we classify property as either marital, separate, or hybrid before we divide it in divorce and, mostly, that comes down to looking at when and how the asset was earned, purchased, or acquired. Things earned by the partners to the marriage themselves during the marriage are usually marital but other things – whether...

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Question: My husband and I are separating.  He’s verbally and emotionally abusive, and I can’t take it anymore.  After I told him it was over, he told me he was going to leave the apartment we’re renting and I’d have to “figure it out.”  I’ve been a stay at home mom and he knows I...

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Whether you want to check the status of your own ongoing case – especially if you are not represented by an attorney – or you’re trying to check up on someone else’s divorce records, it’s relatively easy to get this information in Virginia. Where are divorces filed in Virginia? We have the Circuit Court Information...

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Sometimes, divorce comes about gradually, over time, as people outgrow relationships that once served them.  In other cases, though, there was one triggering event that set events in motion, so to speak. These cases are the most difficult, I think, because it wasn’t a gradual thing that you could adjust to over time.  It was...

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The short answer is yes – you can choose to give your child your last name at birth.  The longer answer, of course, is that this can be complicated. For unmarried mothers, particularly ones who exclude their child’s father from the birth, this is easier.  We don’t necessarily assume that a child should be given...

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When can I start dating after separation?

There’s an easy answer to this question.  There’s also a harder answer.  Let’s get into it, though, and talk more about dating after separation and divorce. Dating after separation: the easy answer The easy answer is that life is messy.  That marriages often end long before divorces are finalized.  That, for many separated and separating...

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Adultery After Separation (But Before Divorce)

In Virginia, you are married until you are divorced.  While Virginia requires a fairly lengthy period of separation before you are legally permitted to finalize your divorce, being legally separated is not the same as being actually divorced. Separated is still married.  In fact, the entire point of requiring a period of separation is so...

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