Everyone – and I do mean everyone – always wants to ask whether they need an attorney for such-and-such kind of a case. And, while it’s true that you don’t ALWAYS need to hire an attorney, sometimes it can be hard to tell from the outside looking in, especially if your exposure to the case...
Do I need an attorney for child support modification?
It didn’t work out with your child’s father but you’ve found love – and stability – and you’re hoping this means that things will change for your child(ren), too. You wonder, “Can my new partner adopt my child? What would that look like?” Assuming, of course, that your new partner is on board with this...
I’ve said it before; I really like a right of first refusal. But that doesn’t mean that issues can’t arise when you implement a right of first refusal provision in your separation agreement or court order! All KINDS of issues can come up in family law cases and, I am sorry to say, to the...
Child custody is complicated, especially because it’s really never absolutely final. Under Virginia law, anything related to the children, including child custody, visitation, and child support, are always modifiable based on a material change in circumstances, up until the time the child turns 18 and is no longer legally considered a child. School enrollment...
It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a woman tells me that she doesn’t ‘need’ child support. It’s an interesting comment, and one that I feel kind of confused by. What do you mean – you don’t need it? Child support, after all, is not designed for the comfort of the parent receiving it; it’s...
If you’re a millennial like me, and you’ve given it any thought at all, you’ll probably agree that Nick Parker and Elizabeth James, from the Lindsay Lohan version of The Parent Trap are among the worst parents in the history of the world. I love Dennis Quaid, I really do, and little Lindsay Lohan is...
On Monday, I wrote about Virginia’s child support guideline calculations, and what might happen to child support in a situation where a mom, who previously stayed at home, re-entered the workforce. I wrote the article for a couple of reasons, but mostly because I’ve recently encountered two different attitudes. One was a woman, telling me...
On Friday, we talked about relocation when you’re a military spouse. (Spoiler alert: it’s tough!) Today, we’re going to talk about the other side of the coin – what happens in a Virginia custody case when HE relocates because of a permanent change of duty station? For the active duty military parent, relocation is a...