Divorce is one of those areas of law that is very state-specific. Unlike certain areas of law that are federally controlled, each state is largely responsible for the divorce laws that govern in their courts. The states are, as they say, the social laboratories. So, it’s kind of hard to know, from state to state,...
Filing for Virginia Legal Separation
Things always get more difficult around the holidays. People who are thinking about divorce don’t really tend to take action at this point; for the most part, they keep it together for their families through the holiday season. But for the people who have an existing divorce or custody case, it tends to become more...
I got a good question at one of my Second Saturday seminars the other day. A woman asked, “What’s a reconciliation clause? Do I even want one? I don’t plan on reconciling!” She went on to say that a reconciliation clause wasn’t included when she and her husband met with a mediator, but then that the...
It happens semi regularly that we end up with a client who has moved with her child (or children) to another state over dad’s objection. If dad doesn’t care, it’s not a really big deal. If he does, though, and he files an emergency petition for custody, you could find yourself up the proverbial creek...
There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to most divorces. At the beginning of the process, tensions are usually high, and there’s a lot of mistrust on both sides. Coming to the realization that your marriage is at an end is difficult and emotional, and it’s often surprising how fast people go from “till...
It’s only in the movies that people dramatically break up before the wedding. Or, at least, that’s what it seems like to me. As many weddings as I’ve been to (and been in!), no one has broken up at the altar. Of all the people I know, only one has even broken a serious engagement....
It used to be that private investigators were predominantly used in adultery cases (LINK) but, in recent years, we’ve come to a point where we probably utilize them even more often in custody cases. We can use private investigators to gather evidence on all sorts of custody-related issues necessary to put on a good case...
Student loans are a reality of the world these days and, if you’ve got them, you’re definitely not alone. (In fact, you’re preaching to the choir.) In fact, these days, more people have student loans than don’t have them, and the average amount of debt each person carries is greater than ever before. It’s pretty...