The phrase resonates on playgrounds: “I know you are but what am I?” This childish taunt grows up to become “whataboutism” in politics and “recrimination” in a Virginia divorce. The concept behind all three is the same: accusing your accuser of the same or worse behavior. Jump to a Section Divorce 101 Virginia Divorce Defenses Recrimination Is Recrimination Effective? Divorce ...
Over the course of three weeks recently, a homicide trial presided over by infinitely patient judge Jennifer Dorow unfolded in front of the cameras in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The defendant (who also made the disastrous choice to represent himself) displayed so many traits of a narcissist, the trial videos are instructive for recognizing a narcissistic spouse. The first step is ...
Down through the years many a man has dreamed of being a stay-at-home Dad (SAHD), and in recent decades that dream job has become much more attainable. Based on the 2010 census, Fathers.com cites around 190,000 SAHDs. But as a SAHD, when your wife wants a divorce, what happens to you and your kids? What rights do you have? What ...
Separation and divorce in Virginia are very, very old. The 1607 Jamestown colonists reported abandonment and divorce among the Native Americans they encountered, according to Encyclopedia Virginia1. The Powhatans recognized the need for each gender to contribute to daily life. Any disruption to that model needed quick remedies. Stay-at-home spouses still need support more than four centuries later. Equitable Division ...
BRIDES is the oldest magazine of its kind in the world. Since 1934 BRIDES magazine has been dispensing practical advice and impractical fantasies to starry-eyed women. So, the appearance of an article on divorce in the magazine seems, well, unbridled. Still, many grooms and brides want to know exactly how to start that conversation. Veiled Threat? Love is a powerful ...
Is your monthly rent above or below $1,257? The U.S. Census bureau reports1 that Virginia’s median gross residential rent from 2016 through 2020 was $1,257, an odd number. That means sharing the costs of a lease goes down to the dimes. You and your wife each have to kick in $628.50, but by having each of you pay and each ...
If you look at some legal papers, lawyers seem to be paid by the word. We aren’t, but we do love our language. We revel in Latin phrases; we delight in odd constructions like estoppel and demurrer. So what can we unpack in a basic word like cheap? Does it only mean something acquired at low cost? Or do you ...
A bedrock of Virginia law is intent. What someone intends is as important as what someone does. It is dressed up with a Latin phrase: mens rea. Mens rea refers to the defendant’s state of mind. It describes the mental condition that the prosecution must prove a defendant had when committing a crime. Desertion in Virginia law very much hinges ...
Barroom lawyers are interesting folks. If you want to start a friendly—or not-so-friendly — argument spirited discussion in a Virginia bar, take bets on the concept of “legal separation in Virginia.” Hint: Virginia has no mechanism for “legal separation.” A married couple is either married or divorced, and during the time before divorce, you two are separated but still married ...