Even though I am well and truly sick and tired of “groundbreaking” family law legislation being named after kids who were murdered in contested custody cases, the Alec and Lydia Act – recently passed in the state of Arizona – is, I hope, the beginning of a new era. Though I am not licensed in...
Arizona’s Alec and Lydia Act
Adultery, sodomy, and buggery are – at least for now – grounds for fault-based divorce in Virginia. There are a number of other, alternative fault-based grounds, including cruelty, apprehension of bodily hurt, desertion, abandonment, and felony conviction, but adultery has always been sort of in its own category because it is also a crime (a...
The laws are changing beginning July 1 – so, though my answer to this question up until now would have been one thing, now it is different. Let’s talk about it! In Virginia, we have both fault and no fault divorce. (At least for now – the Virginia Family Law Coalition is looking into this...
Coming up with a parenting plan isn’t just about how you’ll share the days in each week, though it is certainly about how you’ll share the days in the week. To make matters even more complicated, there are many other considerations that should be reflected in your parenting plan, and you’ll want to make sure...
In the wake of the murder of Cerina Fairfax, I’ve been talking a lot about the state of Virginia law – including the new updates on July 1, 2026 that allow separating couples to immediately get a “divorce” from bed and board – including separation under the same roof. There have been a number of...
The murder of Cerina Fairfax – who was in the midst of a divorce in Northern Virginia at the time that her husband, a former Virginia lieutenant governor, killed her and then himself in the family home while the children were home – has made waves over the last few months, sparking renewed attention on...
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...
We definitely get a lot of questions about our decision to represent women only and, because it’s unusual, we get it! One of the first questions we get – often when a man inadvertently calls our office – is “Isn’t that discrimination?” What they mean isn’t to really ask whether it is discrimination; by definition,...