My Guardian ad litem is SO biased! Working with a Guardian ad litem (an attorney appointed to represent the interests of the child to the court in a custody and visitation case) isn’t easy, to put it mildly. And, if you’re one of the many, many, many women I’ve worked with or talked to over the years who hates your Guardian ad litem with a fiery passion you didn’t know you could feel for another human being, just know – you’re not alone. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that the GAL … [Read more...]
How Virginia Courts Decide Custody
Custody cases are tricky. It’s not like divorce which, although difficult, is more or less a financial transaction where both parties walk away with some of the assets and some of the liabilities in the marriage. It’s pretty much understood that you won’t walk away with it all, because your spouse legally deserves a portion of both the benefit and the burden of your accumulated marital wealth or debt. In custody…it’s different. There’s no way to actually split the baby, so, in the absence … [Read more...]
How to Remove Your Guardian ad Litem
Everyone hates their Guardian ad litem. Everyone. And, at some point, almost everyone asks how they can have their Guardian ad litem removed. I hear all the time that they’re totally biased. That the GAL is probably sleeping with the child’s father. (True story, I’ve heard that!) That they aren’t doing their job. That they refuse to talk to mom. That they won’t do home visits. That they have interrogated mom and had nothing to do with dad. That they’re, basically, the absolute … [Read more...]
Traveling with kids during Virginia divorce
Before there’s a specific custody agreement in place, everything is in flux—including custody and visitation. In fact, before this, you probably never thought of things like parenting time, custody, or visitation, you just did what you had to do to make sure the kids were adequately taken care of. Well, now, everything has changed, and you’re left wondering what you (and your soon to be ex husband) are really allowed to do since, at least for now, there’s nothing specific in place that says what … [Read more...]
Facing a Virginia Child Custody Case
I’m about to have a baby. Well, to tell the truth, I still have a couple weeks before my due date—but I’m also feeling a little bit like everyone I know is on baby watch. I’ve never been so critical of every single feeling I have, wondering if it means something more. It’s my first baby. I’ve never been through this before, so I think that has a little bit to do with the way I’m feeling right now. It’s always really nerve wracking to go through something new, especially when it’s going to … [Read more...]
What rights do I have as an immigrant in Virginia divorce?
Many marriages involve a move. For some, it’s a little move—maybe, possibly, even just a short drive away. For others, it involves a move to a totally different state. For still others, it involves a move to a totally different country. We’ve seen marriages between couples from all over the world, whether they’ve both immigrated to the United States for one reason or another, or whether one partner was already an American citizen, and, for the most part, they’re pretty … [Read more...]
Should I get an attorney in my Virginia juvenile court case?
A lot of times, if you’re just filing for custody, visitation, child support, or spousal support, you’re going to start out at the juvenile court level. If you’re not currently pursuing divorce, but these issues are currently unresolved, the juvenile court is really the only forum you have available to you. There’s good news and bad news when it comes to dealing with the juvenile court, but the most positive thing I can say on the good side is that anything that happens in the juvenile court is … [Read more...]
Custody Seminar for Virginia Moms
A Virginia child custody case is one of the most difficult, emotionally draining, and time intensive cases you could face in the Virginia court system. Virginia child custody cases are also often among the most expensive (I’m sorry, but it’s true), which can be a terrifying proposition for a mom. Almost everyone has a limited income, after all. Of course, our incomes may be limited to a greater or lesser degree, but the idea of paying an attorney to litigate a complicated custody case is one … [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...]
What does shared custody even mean?
Custody cases are the worst, especially in terms of the levels of anxiety that moms feel as they begin to prepare for one. There’s a lot of fear there (and understandably so), and often that fear makes it difficult for moms to separate the horror stories from the actual, factual truth about what could happen in the courtroom. We’ve all heard a horror story or twelve, and it doesn’t help that we’ve all watched TV and seen these types of scenarios unfold dramatically (or maybe “cinematically” … [Read more...]
