Winning big prizes from Publishers Clearing House generally involves a drawn-out series of mailed tasks — filling out forms, sending in “Almost a Winner” cards — in a process lasting weeks. Sure, you may already be a winner of the Grand Prize, but do not count your cash before the Prize Patrol appears. The same goes for getting a green ...
Virginia’s laws are full of odd expressions: in loco parentis; legitimate interest; confirmatory adoption. Sure, they all mean something to someone, but most Virginians can live their entire lives without ever stumbling into these words. Unless you are a stepfather or a nice guy trying to do right by a woman you love by acting like a father to her ...
Gristmills are still scattered across Virginia1, though they have had little or no role in grinding our wheat into flour for about a century. We mention gristmills because, in the third century a Greek philosopher2 came up with the catchy phrase, “The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind small.” That has come down to us as, “The ...
The Cannabis Control Authority1 sounds like a sci-fi title, but it is a real Virginia agency, courtesy of the General Assembly and then-governor Northam. Since July 1, 2021, every Virginian has had the right to grow up to four marijuana plants2 and possess up to an ounce of marijuana. The law also hastens expungements of past pot convictions. How does ...
In Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” a lowly shepherd discovers an abandoned baby. He says, “Mercy on ’s, a bairn! A very pretty bairn. A boy or a child, I wonder?” And the audience laughs, because “boy or child” sounds like an actor forgetting his lines. But in 16th century England, a “child” was a girl. And today, in Virginia, an ...
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. See the amazing, the stupendous, the colossal Final Decree of Divorce. Behold the mysteries and secrets revealed right before your eyes! The Final Decree of Divorce, The Eighth Wonder As you work through all the stages of separation — the six-month or 12-month waiting period, filing for divorce, affidavits, depositions, evidence heard ore tenus ...
You (or your ex) are a convicted felon. You (or your ex) want custody of your child. What are the chances? Crimes Involving Morals and Decency If you or your ex have been convicted of any of 17 different sex offenses in Virginia, you operate under a different set of rules from the average parent. Virginia Code § 18.2-370.2 specifically ...
Virginia’s Circuit Court judges have a lot of power. Take, for instance, Roanoke County Circuit Court Judge Charles Dorsey, who ordered the Confederate statue outside the courthouse — or the courthouse itself — to be moved. As we say, judges have a lot of power. But is it limitless? Can you ask for a different judge in your Virginia family ...
Congratulations on successfully navigating your way through a tricky divorce from your one-time spouse. Now that you can say you have an ex, you need to tidy up some details. Like that pesky mortgage on that fabulous Virginia mansion … or ranch house … or bungalow. Big or little, your house had both your name and your ex’s name on ...