I often find that, when reaching a separation agreement isn’t as easy as previously thought, many people (especially those who had hoped to navigate their divorce without the assistance of attorneys) find themselves filing for custody. Though I can certainly understand the appeal of this (after all, custody is THE biggest issue in cases where there are minor children), sometimes it’s not the best course of action. After all, you can go through the court process (with or without attorneys) but … [Read more...]
What are separation agreements? (And why do I want one?)
When most attorneys talk about divorce, they give the impression that there are all sorts of different “types” of divorce—negotiation, collaboration, mediation, litigation—but the reality is that there are really only three real choices. You either (1) negotiate your divorce by signing a separation agreement and decide for yourself how your things will be divided, (2) litigate your divorce and let the judge decide, or (3) you agree on what you can and let the judge decide the rest. What lawyers … [Read more...]
3 Mistakes Women Make Drafting Separation Agreements
We’ve talked about it before, and we’ll talk about it again. Women all over Virginia (and, I assume, all over the rest of the country) are drafting their own separation agreements rather than hiring attorneys to do it. The reality is that there are many mistakes women make drafting separation agreements. Statistically, most people hire attorneys, of course, but there’s also a fair number of people for whom hiring an attorney just isn’t possible—for financial or other reasons. Those … [Read more...]
