Custody Bootcamp for Moms Scholarship Program

Since we represent women exclusively, we get lots of questions from women asking us to help them with their divorce and custody cases. Though we can’t take on entire cases pro bono, there are a lot of programs that we offer in an effort to make sure that Virginia women are as informed as possible when it comes to divorce and custody cases.
That’s a big part of the reason we teach seminars on divorce and custody cases in Virginia. Our custody seminar, Custody Bootcamp for Moms, is actually pretty revolutionary; it’s the only seminar of its kind created and taught by licensed Virginia custody attorneys, designed to teach Virginia moms what they need to know to represent themselves in their own custody, visitation, and support cases at the juvenile and domestic relations district court.
Custody Bootcamp for Moms is an intense, all day seminar taught by Kristen Hofheimer and Caitlin Walters. It’s full of tons of information about how custody cases in Virginia work, so it’s incredibly valuable. At Custody Bootcamp for Moms, you’ll learn:
• The ten, all important, super critical “best interests of the child” factors that you HAVE to discuss and the judge has to listen to (including what the text of the law says and what the judge is looking for when it comes to your case);
• What to wear and when to sit and stand in the courtroom;
• How to address the judge
• How to handle it when your child’s father wants to bring up your previous bad acts (like the fact that you smoked pot);
• Best practices for working with custody evaluators and guardians ad litem;
• How to prepare a trial notebook;
• How to make opening and closing arguments;
• How to question and cross examine witnesses;
• How to get your evidence in and keep his evidence out; and
• So much more!
Custody Bootcamp for Moms is an incredible seminar because it’s so one of a kind. It’s the only seminar in Virginia that teaches moms how to handle their cases on their own. In this day and age, hiring an attorney can be super expensive; it’s just not something that every single mom can afford to do. It’s also a bargain—we charge just $197 to attend, which is less than the cost of an hour with a moderately priced local attorney, and Kristen and Caitlin will stay until the last woman’s last question is answered.
Still, $197 isn’t something that every single woman everywhere can afford, and we’re really sensitive to that. We often offer free admission to our divorce seminars for women whose therapists refer them to us on account of their financial need, so we figured, awhile back, that we should offer some kind of program to offset the financial costs of attending Custody Bootcamp for Moms for needy Virginia mothers.
Custody Bootcamp for Moms is time consuming and expensive for us to produce, so we can’t just offer free admission willy nilly. Still, we know that there’s a huge need out there for information, and we don’t want to just keep it to ourselves, which is why we started a Custody Bootcamp for Moms Scholarship.

I want to attend Custody Bootcamp for Moms! How can I apply for a scholarship?

To apply for a scholarship to Custody Bootcamp for Moms, send me an email at kcarter@hoflaw.com. Send me your name, contact information, and a little bit about your case (sorry, but I can’t answer your legal questions; you’ll have to come in for an appointment for that). I’ll then present your information to our selection committee about a week before the seminar (so make sure to keep that date open on your calendar!), and let you know as soon as we’ve made a determination. We only offer 1 scholarship per seminar, but you can keep applying for future seminars if you’re not selected. As you can imagine, it’s fairly competitive. Still, you stand a good chance of being chosen if you apply!

What are you looking for in my application?

Believe it or not, I’m not looking for the person with the most difficult or impossibly sad case! I’m looking, quite simply, for the woman who is going to benefit the most from being able to attend Custody Bootcamp for Moms!

Can I just send it to you now?

Sure. You can apply for a scholarship to Custody Bootcamp for Moms anytime, even if our next seminar is sort of far away.
We offer Custody Bootcamp for Moms seminars quarterly, on the fourth Saturday of the month, in January, April, July, and October. Our next seminar is July 23, so now is a good time to send in your application, if you’re so inclined.
Have questions or need more information? Give our office a call at (757) 425-5200.