For every highly contentious case I see, there are probably hundreds of other where the parents are able to work things out. There are likely a bunch of families where mom and dad split up, but they never see the inside of the courtroom. Professionally, I see some people like that. They come in for...
Calling the police to enforce Virginia custody and visitation
There’s nothing worse than seeing your kids sick. Unless it’s having sick kids and knowing that, under the current custody and visitation order/agreement, they’ve got to go to their dad’s. Whatever your feelings about or your relationship with your child’s father, having your children away from you while they’re sick is not at all ideal....
Everything changes when mom and dad can’t make it work. Things that used to work out and were generally accepted sometimes don’t continue to work, especially where nonparents are concerned. Specifically: grandparents. Here’s the typical scenario: mom and dad are happy together (married or unmarried, it’s irrelevant). Mom’s mom is super active in the kid’s...
It happens sometimes – though I definitely don’t prefer it – that custody is handled separately from the rest of the divorce proceedings. It can happen for any number of reasons. Like everything else, divorce and custody cases are highly variable, and all sorts of things can happen that can result in people choosing to...
Guardians ad litem are tricky. But they’re often necessary. And, perhaps even more to the point, we often don’t have a choice – they’re appointed in cases when a judge deems it necessary based on the best interests of the child, so sometimes, we just have to grin and bear it. It’s scary, to trust...
On Wednesday, we talked about your first custody court date – otherwise known as your initial appearance – in juvenile court. You know, that first date in, where you presented the details to the judge and set a trial date. It’s a common misconception that the first custody court date is going to be the...
If your first custody court date is coming up, you’re probably a barrel full of nerves. If you’re anything like me, whenever anything stressful is approaching, you get that “can’t eat, can’t sleep” feeling. When it relates to your children, that feeling is probably amplified by, like, a million – and, especially since we’re dealing...
Lots of people struggle with substance abuse. Lots. Over the years, I’ve seen many, many women who tell me that they struggled with a drug or alcohol addiction. I think, because they’re often so used to being judged for the issues that they’ve faced, they fully expect to be told that they won’t be able...