Are you and your spouse thinking about getting a divorce? If so, you’ll need to abide by Virginia law which states that you and your spouse have to live separately for a year (six months without minor children) before seeking a no-fault divorce. Many couples...
Northern Virginia Family Law Blog
How honest should you really be with your divorce representative?
As if getting divorced isn’t hard enough, you learn you must share many possibly intimate details with a virtual stranger—your divorce representative. Disclosing private information about life and marriage is undesirable for most, yet doing so ensures your counsel is...
Pursuing an equitable distribution of your marital assets
The state of Virginia is not a community property state. As such, spouses who find themselves arguing a divorce case in front of a judge are not facing the inevitability that the value of their marital estate will be divided 50-50 between them. Virginia is an...
5 myths about child custody
The internet is full of misinformation, which can create issues for parents creating a custody plan. To ensure you understand your legal rights, make sure that any information you read is from reputable sources. Otherwise, myths like these could affect your situation...
What divorcing federal employees need to know about RBCOs
If you’re a federal employee, you likely have a tidy sum building up in your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), even if you don’t think about it much. That’s the federal government’s version of the 401(k) retirement plan that private employers offer. If you’re divorcing,...
If your spouse isn’t hiding assets, are they dissipating them?
You’re probably well aware that some people will attempt to hide assets during divorce. You know that you don’t want your spouse to hide these assets from you so that you don’t get a portion of them, and you’ve taken the time to really consider everything that the two...
3 child custody factors to keep in mind
Custody is a crucial aspect of a divorce involving children. You want to protect your parental rights to have a healthy relationship with your kids after a divorce. Several laws are followed in Virginia when a court orders child custody and visitation. However, you...
The child’s best interest: how is it established?
Divorce, in and of itself, is tough for just about everyone. After all, no one gets married with the goal of divorcing at some point. Divorce becomes particularly difficult if children are involved. One of the most difficult dilemmas parents face during the divorce is...
Keep your divorce process off of social media
It’s very tempting to use social media to tell everyone about everything that is happening in your life, especially when things are going poorly and you just want to vent. People who are going through a divorce sometimes feel a compulsion to write about the process on...
What happens if you discover your spouse has hidden assets?
The longer you stay married, the more property and debts you share with your spouse. Under Virginia's marital property laws, everything that you earn or acquire while married is usually marital property. In the event of a divorce, you and your spouse either agree on...