The Magna Carta gave our founding fathers the phrase, “law of the land.” Virginia’s own James Madison apparently added the U.S. Constitution’s Article 6 flourish, “supreme law of the land.” That Supremacy Clause sets the hierarchy for all legal issues, including Virginia Circuit Court child custody orders and military Family Care Plans (FCPs). Jump to a Section Supremacy Rules What ...
When you annoy a clock, it gets ticked off. Virginia parents know five minutes of listening to a seven-year-old tell jokes can feel like five hours. But time itself — minutes, hours, days — is at the center of child support calculations in the Commonwealth. Jump to a Section Shared Custody & Child Support Time for Number Crunching The 90 ...
Virginia law can be quirky and outdated. For example, Virginia Code § 18.2-365 (still on the books) says married people cannot have sex outside of marriage. It’s a Class 4 misdemeanor but it doesn’t stop Virginia swingers clubs from … uh … meeting. Virginia law is largely designed to be gender neutral. With family matters like divorce, men stand on ...
During the holidays, many people are full of good cheer and planning elaborate family gatherings. However, if you’re currently going through a divorce or recently went through one, you may not be feeling the holiday spirit. The first holidays alone can be a painful reminder of what was and what will never be again. However, if you have children, it’s ...
Our modern society depends on numbers. We look for reassurance in numbers (tidy bank balance?), in planning (what are the dates of my vacation?), and choosing our battles. Should a Virginia Dad try to win sole custody of his children? How often do fathers get sole custody in Virginia? What do the numbers tell us? What does experience tell us ...
Henrico County in Virginia granted a license to administer a vaccine in 1800. The vaccine? Smallpox, eradicated worldwide since 1980. Vaccines and vaccination requirements are nothing new. Today Virginia public schools, at the order of the Virginia Department of Health, require 11 vaccinations for admission. But what if parents do not agree on vaccinations? How do they protect their rights ...
In 1932 a couple of German doctors called some children’s constant restlessness and inability to focus by a medical term, hyperkinetic disease. That was inevitably followed in 1937 by medication, benzedrine, to treat it. Today we call it attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Whether in adults or children, ADHD can be a major disrupter in divorce and custody schedules. Jump ...
Child custody is a fraught, frightening, frustrating part of parting ways with the other parent. Kids are your flesh and blood. You and your children’s mother must decide who gets whom. If you and the other parent cannot agree on child custody, the decision will be made by a Virginia judge through custody hearings, starting with a status hearing. Jump ...
The earliest examples of trepanning — drilling holes in the human skull to relieve medical and psychological symptoms — are from around 6,000 B.C.E. We don’t drill into people’s heads anymore as a solution to mental health problems. Yet plenty of Virginian men face mental health crises and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that can affect family law matters. Jump ...