Through Amazon, you can order a magnetic GPS tracking device for your vehicle. That is richly ironic given all the tracking technology Amazon uses on its own fleet vehicles. It sounds intrusive, right? Not at all. Under Virginia law, fleet owners can track their own fleets. But what if your ex wants to track you during parenting time? What does ...
Lawyers love words. Words like prima facie, estoppel, and amicus curiae. Here’s a word: poecilonym. The next time your drinking buddy pulls a bar bet on you, win your money back with this: What is a synonym for the word synonym? Answer: poecilonym (“poe-sill-o-nim”). Guaranteed you’ll win back any money you lost in previous bets. So what is a poecilonym ...
Not much is left of Basic City, Virginia. It was whole and happy for only around 34 years before being consolidated with its neighbor in 1924. Basically, the town was a wild-and-wooly alternative to dry, conservative Waynesboro. At least while it lasted. Being basic wasn’t enough for Basic City, just as a basic separation agreement may not be enough for ...
Dunnington Mansion is what real estate agents would call “charming.” The abandoned mansion, in Farmville, Virginia, is still beloved enough to have its own foundation (the charitable kind; we assume it already has the stone kind). But it does need a bit of work. It requires the kind of sweat equity you would also put into your own DIY quick ...
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 ...
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 ...
Parents protect their children. All mammals — otters, ocelots, wombats, numbats — worry over and coddle and defend their offspring. Instinct makes a Virginia parent especially sensitive to risk during a pandemic. Intentional or not, some Virginia custodial parents are withholding visitation and parenting time. What risk does that bring, and what is a better way? Let’s Focus on Science, ...
During divorce litigation, you can have a lot of time on your hands. One way to pass the time is to take up the dead language Latin. Pendente lite, for example, is not a brand of Virginia beer. It's Latin for "with the lawsuit pending," and it is a temporary agreement setting down rules about spousal support, child support, child custody, ...
COVID-19 is a dread disease. Nobody — not Governor Northam, not your child’s teachers, not your family law attorney — wants you to catch this illness or worse, spread it to your own children. Here are some practical and possible ways to practice social distancing while still enjoying parenting time with your kids. Children Are Susceptible Let’s start by dispelling ...