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Spare the Child: Virginia Custody Disputes

As everyone always says, there’s no book on how to be a good parent.  The nurses at the hospital didn’t send you home with a manual.  There are books and online courses and old wives tales, but there’s no consensus on how to raise a child in the best way possible. We all screw up…

What happens in Virginia divorce court?

It’s intimidating to go to court. It’s intimidating to do anything, really, when the process and routines are unfamiliar to you, but it’s especially true when those processes result in splitting the assets and liabilities you’ve spent your adulthood accumulating, not to mention determining custody and visitation of your minor children. There’s a lot at…

Juvenile Court v. Circuit Court: Where Do I File?

Knowing which court does what and where to file your petitions is anything but easy, especially in family law. Our cases are handled both in the juvenile courts AND the circuit courts, and there can be some interplay between the two, depending on the specifics of each case. Let’s talk about it. What petitions do…

Constitutional Rights in Family Law

We’re all used to the idea that, by virtue of the Constitution, we have these certain, unalienable rights. And it’s true – we do. But the reality of what those rights are, and what they mean, and how and when they apply is a little bit more complicated.  In a lot of ways, family court…

Virginia Material Change of Circumstances

In a divorce, a lot of things are set in stone – regardless of whether the case is finalized by a signed separation agreement negotiated by the parties, or whether the case goes all the way to trial and the judge issues a final order. Things in equitable distribution, like the division of the retirement…

I shouldn’t have to pay for a family law attorney; I’m innocent!

  This was a new one for me – “I shouldn’t have to pay for a family law attorney; I’m innocent!” While I do sympathize with the sentiment, there’s also a whole lot wrong with it. In a lot of ways, I know that the way the Virginia court system – and, probably, every court…

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…

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…

What’s a reasonable custody and visitation agreement?

What is a reasonable agreement when it comes to custody and visitation? This is a question we get a lot – hey, I understand! – from concerned moms who are wondering what’ll happen after they separate from their child’s father. What should a custody and visitation agreement look like?  How much time with my kids…

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;…