One of the best ways, when working through separation and divorce, to support your children and maintain those all-important family bonds is through open decision-making and clear communication. Whether that means joint physical custody or shared legal custody, or even sole physical custody with thorough, informal discussions, both parents must agree to work in the best interests of the child, ...
Good news! Adultery no longer exists in the military. Well, okay, they renamed it “extramarital sexual conduct” in the latest revisions to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but still, it doesn’t say adultery! Performing the Poking Polka is still illegal and likely to get you in a whole lot of trouble, but only under some very specific circumstances. ...
You think you live in Virginia and the other parent of your kids thinks she or he lives in South Carolina. You’re wrong: you both live in UIFSA. UIFSA has only one state and expects parents owing child support to pay it, regardless of either parent’s address. UIFSA: The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act UIFSA stands for the Uniform Interstate ...
An oxymoron is an inherently contradictory phrase, like jumbo shrimp, acting naturally, and legal brief. One thing attorneys are not is brief. Though we don’t get paid by the word, we often write as if we do. Why? To protect everyone in every legal matter. That is why we bravely put our names down as attorneys of record. So, just ...
You and your spouse have agreed to separate. Bags in hand, standing at the front door, she tosses you one parting bombshell: she will expect spousal support throughout the months of your separation. Then, after the divorce is final, she will expect more spousal support. Can she expect that? Who Gave the Marching Orders? The law does not care who ...
Now I lay me down to sleep, but Dad’s new girlfriend is a creep. Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” helps people differentiate between needs and wants, and to make clear that some needs are basic and biological: food, water, safety, warmth, and rest. We may want a separate bedroom for our visiting children to get their rest, but is it ...
Hollywood screenwriters are clearly masochists. A Hollywood disaster flick will send hordes of zombies into a burning hi-rise orphanage during an earthquake. Estate planning during your Virginia divorce, though? Not even a Hollywood script writer would dare such a thing. Protecting Yourself on Multiple Fronts If you feel like your divorce is more than you can handle, you may be ...
Death and taxes, according to Christopher Bullock in 1716, are the only two things of which we can be sure. With the 21st century, we might add student debt and child support to those certainties. They are also two of the obligations nearly impossible to shirk without consequences. Garnishment for Child Support If you owe child support payments in Virginia, ...
Your wife cleverly squirreled away some of her money in cryptocurrency, assuming it was out of reach in divorce. You, who still have trouble remembering your ATM PIN, have no idea what a Bitcoin even is, or where Ethereum might be on a map. How could cryptocurrency even be an asset in Virginia divorce? And how can you find out ...