Our newest attorney, Lori Michaud, may be new to us, but she’s not at all new to the practice of law. Licensed in Virginia, New York, and New Jersey, Lori has been practicing since the mid 1980s, and, in that time, has built an impressive reputation for herself. This year, Lori was asked to teach...
Military Divorce: Pension Division and Survivor Annuity
There are things in divorce that are negotiating points, especially when it comes to the finer points. A judge, it has to be said, isn’t going to be creative with the results in any particular case; it’s not personal, there just simply isn’t time. If you want to be creative, and craft a solution that...
Separation is one of those areas where a lot of people get tripped up. I think, most of the time, they really overthink it, and with separation, like with most things, that can cause a lot of confusion. Because it’s legal (at least, I guess that’s why?) they think it has to be a lot...
In many ways, contested or uncontested, your divorce is a negotiation. In most cases, regardless of whether you initially file on fault, your divorce will ultimately be settled. That’s not a dig; in fact, it’s an ideal situation. Rather than leaving it up to a judge, you and your husband can reach an agreement about...
What to expect at a judicial settlement conference Judicial settlement conferences can happen for a couple of different reasons. If your divorce is contested, oftentimes courts require that you have a judicial settlement conference before your trial, in an attempt to encourage the parties to settle on their own without the judge’s involvement. (If your...
Worrying about money is the worst. When you’re not quite sure how you’re going to pay your bills, keep a roof over your head, provide for your children, save for retirement, hire a divorce attorney, and put food in everyone’s bellies, it’s a concern. Not to mention all the little extras that come up, and...
If ever there was a bad time to be thinking that your marriage is on the rocks, it’s right after you’ve delivered a baby. Add to your level of stress (you know, related to delivery, recovery, post partum, the realities of raising a baby) with the fact that you may or may not be able...
It’s not one that we see all the time (in fact, we prefer not to have cruelty come up!), but, in Virginia, cruelty is grounds for divorce. Cruelty can mean a lot of different things to a lot of people; in fact, I think most of us can agree that to verbally or emotionally abuse...