Child custody disputes can be some of the most emotional and complicated parts of divorce or separation. When parents cannot agree on where their children should live or how parenting time should be shared, the court must determine what arrangement serves the best interests of the child. One concern parents often have is whether the judge might speak directly with ...
Divorce is stressful enough when both spouses have attorneys. But what happens if your wife hires a family lawyer and you decide to represent yourself? Many Virginia men wonder whether they are required to communicate with their spouse’s attorney or whether they can simply refuse to deal with that lawyer. The reality is that if you represent yourself in a ...
When parents divorce or separate in Virginia, few questions are more important—or more emotionally charged—than child custody. Fathers often hear the terms joint custody and shared custody used interchangeably, but under Virginia law, they mean very different things. Understanding those differences is essential if you want to protect your parental rights, preserve meaningful time with your children, and avoid costly ...
If you're wondering whether you can get an immediate divorce in Virginia, you’re not alone. Many men facing a difficult or rapidly deteriorating marriage want to know if they can bypass long separation timelines or file right away based on their circumstances. The truth is that Virginia law allows immediate filing in certain cases—but not immediate finalization. Whether you can ...
When marital resources are treated like trash on a highway and scattered across the pavement, that’s the kind of waste we’re talking about. Behind the metaphor lies a real legal concept in Virginia divorce: marital waste. It occurs when one spouse uses or depletes marital assets for non-marital purposes — particularly when separation or divorce is on the horizon. This ...
For military service members in Virginia, child support calculations can feel confusing — especially when your pay comes from multiple sources. Between basic pay, allowances, incentive bonuses, and veterans’ benefits, you may wonder what counts as income for support purposes. The answer? Almost everything. Virginia law casts a wide net when defining income for child support. Whether your compensation is ...
Verbal abuse may not leave bruises, but its impact can be just as devastating. In Virginia, hurtful words, threats, and constant humiliation can rise to the level of family abuse — a legal term that includes both emotional and verbal harm. Many men and women facing this kind of mistreatment wonder if it qualifies as domestic violence under Virginia law. ...
You might assume stalking is something that happens between strangers in dark parking lots or online forums. But in Virginia, if your spouse—or even your ex—accuses you of stalking, you can face serious criminal and family law consequences. Under Virginia law, stalking is a criminal offense, and yes, you can be arrested and charged even if the person accusing you ...
Susie and Paul Sensmeier, of Christiansburg, Virginia, know a lot about deliveries. Not babies, but drone deliveries. They’ve set a record for the most orders — more than 1,200 — delivered by remotely piloted aircraft. Most Virginia couples (married and unmarried) get excited about baby deliveries. But when an unmarried couple splits, how does child custody work? Jump to a ...