Can I represent myself in a Virginia child custody case?

One of the most difficult parts of child custody litigation is that it can be virtually never ending.  Since custody, visitation, and child support are modifiable based on a material change in circumstances, you can – theoretically, at least – find yourself in court again and again, at least until you children turn 18 and...

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Oof.  I hate this question, mostly because there is so little I can do about it either way.  But – wait – let’s rewind. I get a lot of questions about family law and almost all are good ones, because it’s not like the legal system (including but not limited to family law) is not...

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Family law cases can be a little more confusing than cases in other areas of law because – depending on the type of case – you might find yourself in either circuit court or juvenile court.  Though some states call juvenile court ‘family court,’ and I’ve found that’s the way a lot of people refer...

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What does supervised visitation mean?

In most cases, both parents will have the opportunity to have uninterrupted, unsupervised parenting time with their minor children, whether by agreement between the parties or by court order. In extreme cases, though, it is possible that the court would order one party or the other to have supervised visitation.  This will usually be in...

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The legal process is not at all intuitive, so if you’re wondering what to expect – well, that makes a lot of sense.  Custody cases are some of the more challenging cases to navigate, too, because they’re handled in juvenile and domestic relations district courts, which – if you’ve had any run ins with the...

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The kids live with me. Do I have sole custody?

Custody and visitation can be sort of a tricky subject and, if you look on the internet or poll friends on social media, you can get a wide range of (not necessarily correct) answers.  It’s always wise to at least talk to an attorney when you have legal questions, rather than relying on (well-meaning) non-attorneys,...

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Single moms are always under a lot of pressure.  For one thing, life – and parenting – is hard.  For another, they’re constantly subject to the judgment of others. One way I see this play out – unfairly, in my opinion – to the detriment of mothers and children is in how other people like...

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I’m military. Can I even file my own divorce?

  In some ways, a divorce is a divorce.  Certainly, if we’re looking at things procedurally, one divorce doesn’t differ all that much from another, though there’s also no question that a military divorce involves considerations that civilian divorces don’t. Mostly, military divorces mean that there are categories of assets – BAH, SBP, TSP, the...

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