The Virginia Court System
In the election last month, one of my best friends was elected as prosecutor in her county. (She’s actually the first woman to have been elected in her county, ever – but, for my purposes today, a little beside the point.) It got me doing a little research into the local government and court structure…
Filed under: Divorce Tag with: appeal | child support | circuit court | court reporter | custody | de novo | divest | divestiture | divorce | domestic violence | juvenile court | military divorce | protective order | separation | visitation
50/50 Custody in Virginia
Custody and visitation are always major hot button issues in divorce and custody cases, especially because there are so few guarantees. The whole ‘best interests of the child’ standard means that there’s not a standard custody and visitation arrangement ordered; it’s a subjective, not an objective, process, which means that a variety of different arrangements…
Filed under: Child Custody Tag with: 50/50 custody | custody | custody agreement | juvenile court | parenting time | primary physical custody | separation agreement | shared custody | split custody | virginia judge | visitation
Will you take my family law appeal case?
We get calls, from time to time, about appeal cases, both for custody and divorce. It’s not the most common type of call – appeals are, after all, more rare than other types of cases – but it happens. Of course it does! In a divorce or a custody case, there’s a lot at stake;…
Filed under: Blog Tag with: appeal | appeal of right | circuit court | custody | de novo | divorce | juvenile court | mistake of fact | mistake of law
Juvenile and Circuit Court Custody Case Procedures
Juvenile and Circuit Court Procedure in Virginia Custody Cases You think you might have to file for custody. Maybe something has been brewing for awhile. Maybe recent coronavirus concerns have forced some difficult issues to light. Maybe there’s a looming change in circumstances, like a move, a new job, a school change, or a wedding….
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: appeal | attorney | circuit court | coronavirus | custody | de novo | hiring an attorney | juvenile court | visitation
Virginia Custody Retainer
We get lots of frantic inquiries from women about pro bono divorce and custody services – something we really don’t offer (and, frankly, that no other law firm that I’m aware of really does offer, either). Pro bono is a hard thing, for a lot of reasons. Cases are expensive and time consuming; we really…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: attorney | circuit court | custody | divorce | juvenile court | lawyer | quote | retainer | retainer agreement
What’s an appeal de novo?
Considering it’s a dead language, there’s an awful lot of Latin in the law. Since so many of us are not Latin speaking, it can make reading the law, cases, and even general information about the law difficult – or, worse, nearly completely incomprehensible. Understanding the direct translation of a phrase doesn’t necessarily enhance…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: appeal | appeal of right | attorney's fees | child support | circuit court | custody | de novo | divorce | homeschool | juvenile court | marijuana | overnight guests | pro se | protective order | special needs | spousal support | visitation
When your custody case is part of a divorce
Custody cases can take different shapes depending on what the underlying issues are. Basically, there are two types – custody where you and the child’s father weren’t married, and custody where you’re also getting a divorce. Today, we’re going to talk about divorce cases where custody is an issue. Why does it matter if we’re…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: appeals | circuit court | Court of Appeals | custody | divest | divestiture | divorce | juvenile court | strategic
What are your retainer fees?
If that’s not a generic question, I don’t know what is! I know there’s a lot of confusion out there about how attorneys bill and what we charge for. I also know that there’s often a general feeling that we’re not all that willing to give straight answers. In law school, the joke was always…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: attorney cost | circuit court | custody | custody seminar | divorce | divorce seminar | free custody book | free divorce books | free reports | juvenile court | legal fees | retainers | separation