Veteran’s Day: Honoring Female Service Members and Military Wives

In honor of Veteran’s Day, we want to say thank you (in some small way) to the women involved. Whether you’re the active duty military service member or you’re the wife and mother keeping up the home front, we’re grateful of your sacrifices.
Don’t think we don’t know how hard it can be. With years of experience handling military divorces (and many of our attorneys and staff who are married or related to active duty military service members), we really do get it. We know how grueling it can be, and how much time away from your family it can entail. We know how many women curtail their careers to support their husbands, or move around so frequently that they can’t maintain a steady job. We know how precious access to things like TriCare (whether standard or prime) and the Exchange can be, and how the family depends on the income from the military, plus the retirement, GI Bill, and, in some cases, re-enlistment bonuses.
In a lot of ways, military divorces are the same as civilian divorces. After all, the general process is the same. Still, though, there are things that make military families different—BAH, SBP, TSP, TriCare, GI Bill, and so on. Plus, there’s the instability that comes from moving frequently, leaving family behind, and often being unable to maintain steady jobs outside of the military. There’s a lot at stake in any divorce, but that feeling is amplified in a military divorce.
If you’re a military servicemember and you’re facing a divorce this Veteran’s Day, I have a couple offers for you.

Step one: Request a (free) copy of our military divorce book.

If you’re an active duty military service member or are married to one and you’re considering a divorce, separation, or custody case, request a free copy of our military divorce book, “What Every Virginia Military Wife Needs to Know About Divorce.” It’s a great primer on Virginia laws regarding divorce, and can help give you the jump start you need as you start thinking about divorce. As soon as you fill out the online form, we’ll send you an electronic copy of the book, directly to the spouse-safe e-mail address you provide. If you’re in our immediate area, you’ll also get an email asking for your physical address. If you fill it in (of course, you don’t have to), again, with a spouse-safe address, we’ll get a hard copy of the book mailed out to you as soon as possible.

Step two: Attend one of our monthly divorce seminars.

We teach divorce seminars three times a month, twice on the Second Saturday of the month in Virginia Beach and Newport News, and once on the Third Tuesday of the month in Virginia Beach.
Each seminar is taught by one of our licensed and experienced Virginia divorce and custody attorneys, and it’s a question and answer format—so you can get your initial questions answered with up to date, Virginia specific legal information as you begin to contemplate your options.
We normally charge $50 for the seminar, but just for you, and just because it’s Veteran’s Day, we’ll offer you free admission to any of our seminars in the month of November. It’s our way of saying thank you, and helping to make sure that you have all the information you need to make these super important decisions.  To register to attend, click here and use the promo code “VeteransDay2015”.
Thinking you’d rather just talk to a JAG attorney? Click here for an article about why a JAG attorney really isn’t all that helpful; you need a licensed Virginia attorney to help handle a divorce or custody case.

Step three: Schedule a consultation.

After the seminar, your next step, if you decide to move forward with your divorce or custody case, is to talk to an attorney one-on-one. At our consultation, you’ll meet with an attorney who will get the facts about your case and help you come up with a custom tailored strategy to move your case forward. Whether we’re talking about a contested or uncontested divorce, negotiating a custody and visitation agreement or litigating on custody, the attorney you meet with will present your options to you and help you make a plan to move ahead.
We normally charge $285 for our consultations but, for one day only, on Veteran’s Day, November 11th, we’ll offer our consultations to female military service members (active duty and spouses) for a reduced rate of $150 (with valid military identification card). A savings of over $120, we wanted to be sure we offered something to say thank you to you for your service to our country and express our sincere and profound respect for the work that you do.
For more information, to register for the seminar, or to schedule a consultation at the reduced rate on November 11th, give our office a call at (757) 425-5200.