In Equitable Distribution, the legal process through which we divide the assets and liabilities of a marriage between the parties, the court doesn’t automatically assume a 50/50 split. This is different than states that follow a Community Property model of division. In equitable distribution (or ED, as we sometimes call it), it’s almost like...
Negative and Positive Monetary and Non Monetary Contributions
I was reading a quote the other day that said that the best thing you can do for a narcissist is to give him a child. That was it – that was the end of the quote – but it really did get me thinking. It probably is the best thing you can do, because...
When I was a brand new baby lawyer, fresh out of law school, it was a few years after the 2008 real estate crash. At that time, I remember seeing a lot of people – yes, even several years later – who came in with tons of debt and houses that were underwater. At the...
Historically, divorce has been a bit of taboo. Henry VIII’s legacy notwithstanding, even the British royal family has had its own issues with its various brushes with divorce. In fact, Princess Margaret was the first to divorce in the immediate royal family – in 1978 – since Henry VIII, when he divorced Anne of Cleves...
A few months ago, I followed the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation case pretty closely. In a lot of ways, to me, it represents the core of what I do at work, and what I’ve come, personally, to care a lot about. In general, we don’t put much faith in the things that women say. You’d...
Divorce is scary for anyone under any circumstances, but it’s especially scary as a stay at home mom (SAHM) who hasn’t worked outside of the home in a while. While I think we can all recognize that being a stay at home mom is work – in many ways, the hardest work! – the fact...
This was a new one for me – “I shouldn’t have to pay for a family law attorney; I’m innocent!” While I do sympathize with the sentiment, there’s also a whole lot wrong with it. In a lot of ways, I know that the way the Virginia court system – and, probably, every court...
I like to say that, when it comes to divorce and custody cases, there aren’t a lot of rules. I mean, there are some rules – after all, we have to follow the Code of Virginia – but what I mean is that, when it comes down to determining what’s right and wrong for...