I met with a woman the other day who had a separation agreement – prepared by her mediator – that she wanted me to review. She had gone to mediation with her husband, and then they had modified the agreement. She wanted me to tell her whether it was a fair offer for her. It...
Should I sign…? Separation Agreements in Virginia
I spend a lot of time talking here about separation agreements, uncontested divorces, and how, in general, it’s often ideal to avoid going to court to have your assets and liabilities divided. In most cases, that’s quite true. But “most cases” is not every case, and you have to think critically about your case, and...
I rarely have an opportunity to see a husband abuse his wife – my client – first hand. Obviously, most of these abusers lawyer up pretty quickly, and they’re often pretty good at putting on a good face in public. After all, isn’t that characteristic abusive spouse behavior? Awhile back, though, I witnessed – first...
When it comes to facing a custody case, you probably feel like a fish out of water. And, honestly, if you don’t feel that way, you probably should. I don’t say that to scare you – I don’t ever want to just scare anybody – but only to make you aware that things that you...
Real estate is easy. Either one or the other of you keeps it, in which case you refinance the mortgage to remove your spouse from liability, or you sell it and split the proceeds. There’s not a lot of options, so we can often cut to the chase pretty quickly. I want to keep the...
It happens sometimes that our clients lie to us. I get it – it’s scary. It’s overwhelming. And there are maybe some facts in your case that you’re not entirely proud of – and may be intensely embarrassed of. You may be afraid of what might happen if those details get out. It’s not that...
I get it. Things don’t always work out exactly like we planned. Sometimes, unplanned things can pop up, and can complicate things in ways that we never anticipated. When it comes to babies and divorce, well, it sometimes happens. I don’t need to tell you it’s probably not ideal timing. But it’s a baby, and...
I get asked all the time whether the court will make my client or prospective client do something lifestyle-based, like go back to work, put their kids in daycare, quit working, stop breastfeeding, stay in the same city as their ex husband, etc. In general, the answer is pretty clear. There’s not much that the...