When it comes to custody and visitation of minor children in Virginia, not very many things are set in stone, especially if the parents are able to reach an agreement about how they plan to work together to co parent their children. There aren’t a lot of hard and fast rules when it comes to custody and visitation, except to the extent that we use the “best interests of the child” factors to guide our decisions. Whenever custody and visitation issues are brought in front of a judge, the judge … [Read more...]
Hofheimer Family Law Celebrates Mother’s Day
For the third year in a row, Hofheimer Family Law is offering three special promotions for Virginia Moms on Mother’s Day. (Well, if we’re getting technical, it’s the Monday AFTER Mother’s Day, because Mother’s Day is on a Sunday.) Moms are special. We are so aware of that fact every single day, doing what we do. Besides the fact that all of our attorneys are women (and most are moms), we see the impact that moms have every single day in our cases. Most of our cases have a custody component, and … [Read more...]
Attorney Costs in a Separation Agreement Case
It’s scary to hire an attorney. It’s especially scary because you don’t know what to expect. You know it’ll be expensive, but what does that mean? You want to call an attorney to find out what your options are—but you’re also kind of scared. Attorneys don’t really post their rates on their websites, so how do you make sure that you’re not calling a firm that you couldn’t afford? How are attorney costs determined? I feel the same way sometimes. A good example that jumps to mind, to me, is … [Read more...]
Removing a Virginia Guardian ad Litem
In Virginia, as in most states, the standard we use for custody cases is the best interests of the child. In Virginia, as in most states, we have a number of factors that comprise, basically, what factors we believe account for what types of choices, when it comes to custody and visitation, are in a child's best interests. Even still, though, it's not always easy to tell exactly what's in the best interests of a particular child under a unique set of circumstances. As far as a judge is … [Read more...]
Can I just get a quick divorce or custody question answered?
It happens all the time. In fact, it happens every single day. Multiple times a day. A lady calls in, with just one, quick, simple family law question to ask about her divorce or custody case, expecting a quick and easy answer. We don’t really give legal advice that way, because to do so would be to give advice in a vacuum—and cases just don’t work that way. A question that looks simple on the surface can be a lot more complicated when you start to get into the weeds, and it’s hard to give a … [Read more...]
When Your Child’s Father’s Family Wants Visitation
Everybody loves a baby. In a lot of cases, there’s really nothing like a baby to bring a family together. Mom’s side, dad’s side—everybody can, sometimes, exist in perfect harmony, with everybody agreeing on one thing, at least: their love of that sweet, precious little baby. Extended family can be wonderful. Extended family can provide free, quality, loving childcare. But extended family can also be crippling, nagging, a nuisance, or, even worse, an actual, legitimate danger to your child. Of … [Read more...]
Virginia Divorce and Custody: How long does it take?
If you have never been through a divorce or custody case before (and, for your sake, I hope you haven’t), you probably have a lot of questions about family law. When we take on a new case, it seems like every client asks the same question: how long is this going to take? I understand! You’re living through what is probably one of the biggest periods of uncertainty in your life, and you’d like to know when everything is going to be finished so that you can get back on track. You’d like to put … [Read more...]
Do I have to have my own place to get custody in Virginia?
For most women, the period of time leading up to their custody case is one of upheaval. That’s not always the case, though; sometimes, custody can come up without being part of an underlying divorce or break up or whatever the case may be. For a lot of women, though, the custody case is triggered by something else—something like a breakup or a divorce—and that something else can lead to a little bit of instability in other areas. Women ask me all the time whether they’ll need to get their own … [Read more...]
Your income and expense sheet
In a divorce, a big part of what we have to do is figure out how much money exists and how it is spent by the parties. Of course, there’s really no question that, in a divorce, things change, and things that you were formerly able to afford will become more unrealistic through the process. Still, most attorneys (and judges, if your case is going to be litigated at any point) will want to have an idea of how much there is and how much is regularly spent. We’re not just talking about major … [Read more...]
Divorcing and scared
If you’re divorcing and scared, you’re not alone. It’s normal to be wondering what to expect, especially when you’re headed towards such a major transition. It’s not unusual to wonder whether it will really happen, and fantasize about it either way. And, then, stay up half the night worrying about it—either way. Mixed feelings are normal. Divorcing IS scary, and you’re not the first woman who has frantically searched through our site for more information. In fact, every single day we get some … [Read more...]
