Special Issues in Custody: Adoption
Most of the time, adoption isn’t a big part of what we do. In some cases, though, it can come up in certain ways. Most of the time, the question is whether a new stepparent can adopt a child from a previous relationship. There are all sorts of interrelated issues: termination of parental rights, stepparent…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: adoption | child custody | custody | divorce | name change | separation | stepparent adoption | termination of parental rights
Virginia Name Changes and Stepparent Adoptions
So, your child’s biological father is a deadbeat, and now you’ve found Mr. Wonderful (not Mr. Wonderful of the Shark Tank variety, to be clear). He is willing to adopt your child, and to have her assume his last name. Isn’t it amazing? But is it really that easy? In most cases, no! It’s actually…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tag with: actual harm | best interests of the child | name change | separation | stepdad | stepparent adoption
Changing Your Name in Virginia Divorce
For lots of women, one of the most important parts of the divorce process is the name change. Especially when there aren’t children born during the marriage (and sometimes even when there are) one of the most important parts of the process (and certainly one of the most therapeutic and significant parts) is the name…
Filed under: After Divorce | Blog | Divorce | Frequently Asked Questions | General | Library Tag with: changing your name | former name | maiden name | name change | Virginia divorce