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...
Custody and Visitation: Bad Result in Juvenile Court
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...
Let’s face it, one day, you’ll date again. For some, of course, it happens much sooner than others but, in the majority of cases, it happens. If you have children with your ex, no matter what else might happen, dating because exponentially more difficult. How do you talk about new boyfriends with the children? When...
Women ask me all the time whether they should just get custody handled first, and then come back and handle the divorce itself. In a sense, I think I get what they’re saying – custody is the more pressing concern immediately, and needing to have that handled is clouding everybody’s judgment about everything. Maybe they...
On Monday, we talked about how good moms can lose custody. It happens all the time, and I’m always surprised at how many moms don’t take custody cases seriously, and wind up losing custody of their kids. They fall prey to some of the common mistakes we discussed on Monday, and they’re left with...
Custody and visitation cases can run the gamut. Of course, that’s because the facts involved in each case can differ dramatically from one to the next, and that can have a lot to do with how the judge rules. A lot of factors can influence Virginia custody and visitation. Obviously, what is appropriate for an...
Custody in Virginia comes in one of two types: legal and physical. A lot of the time, we’re fighting over physical custody, because that has to do with where the child spends the majority of his or her time. But, of course, that’s not always the case. Every so often, different issues come up, and,...