Know Your Judge: Virginia Custody Cases Judges – like all of us normal, regular people – are different. They bring to their job different opinions, and different interpretations of the law. They are subject to different moods, based on what is happening in their own personal lives. This probably isn’t shocking information. But it is pretty scary, to think that you could wait months and months to meet with someone who could be making decisions about you and your family on a day where he or … [Read more...]
Kristen D. Hofheimer Memorial Scholarship for Divorced Virginia Women
In honor of our former managing partner, Kristen D. Hofheimer, who passed away on January 19, 2019, after a long battle with breast cancer, we’ve decided to shake things up a bit. We’ve always been the first, largest family law firm in Virginia dedicated to representing women exclusively. Kristen was, of course, a very large part of that – she literally wrote the book on Virginia custody cases for moms (The Woman’s Custody Survival Guide), created our Custody Bootcamp for Moms seminar to help … [Read more...]
I can’t afford a Virginia divorce lawyer
I can’t afford a Virginia divorce lawyer. Legal representation is expensive. I get it. And it’s often especially scary because, at the beginning of a case, it is difficult to know how far and how long it’ll go. Family law attorneys take cases on retainers, and work is done on an hourly basis. We don’t know how long a case will last, or what it will take, before all is said and done. And with some cases – like custody, appeals, or enforcement of an agreement – things can pop up later on down … [Read more...]
Calculating Days in Virginia Child Custody
Calculating Days in Virginia Child Custody Child support is complicated. On the one hand, in many cases it isn’t an issue, because it’s based on a formula, and the formula is binding on our courts. On the other hand, it is an issue, because when you get into shared physical custody, for example, the level of support a paying parent would have to pay is less than under a primary physical custody arrangement. So, even if it IS straightforward on its face, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a … [Read more...]
What to Expect at a Virginia Custody Seminar
Custody cases are scary, and, whether you’ve hired an attorney or are hoping to handle your case yourself, you probably have a lot of questions about what to expect. Obviously, you’ve also heard that there’s a seminar for Virginia moms facing custody cases, so now you’re probably wondering whether a Virginia custody seminar is going to have the answers for your questions and, ultimately, help with your case. Am I right? Well, you’re right to wonder, and it’s also normal to wonder what to … [Read more...]
Virginia Custody Seminar for Moms
Custody Bootcamp for Moms is an intense, all day custody seminar designed to prepare Virginia moms for what they might face in a custody case at the juvenile court level. A custody case is a scary thing, and it’s especially scary when you can’t afford to hire an attorney to represent you. All of that “if you can’t afford one an attorney will be appointed for you” jazz, as you’ll quickly learn, doesn’t apply to custody cases. Court appointed attorneys are something we see in criminal cases, … [Read more...]
Sheera Herrell Taking Over as Managing Attorney and CEO of Hofheimer Family Law
Sheera Herrell Taking Over as Managing Attorney and CEO of Hofheimer Family Law We’re both excited and incredibly sad to announce that big things are under way at Hofheimer Family Law. If you know us, you know that for the last 25 years (yes, 25!) we’ve been dedicated to representing women only in divorce, custody, and support cases in Virginia. It all started in the 1990s when our founder, Charlie Hofheimer, started the firm. He was soon joined by Jack Ferrebee, and then, just a few years … [Read more...]
I want a pro bono lawyer
We literally get calls every single day from women asking whether we will take their cases pro bono. I’m not sure where this all got started, but the reality is that we really can’t take entire cases pro bono. That doesn’t mean that your case isn’t serious, or that your financial situation isn’t bleak. It doesn’t mean that you’re not deserving, and it certainly doesn’t mean that we are uncaring. In fact, one of the things that I love the most about the group of people that I work with here (and … [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...]
Virginia custody seminar for moms
Gearing up to face a custody case – especially if you can’t afford to hire an attorney to help you – is pretty terrifying. Though there’s no question that divorce cases are difficult, both emotionally and financially, it’s the custody cases that tend to make otherwise sane people totally panic. It’s completely understandable. Until you and your child’s father separated, time with the kids was family time. Everyone was welcome. But now, thinking about what’s happening and what might be ordered … [Read more...]
