Posted on January 20, 2026 in Child Custody

There are many issues that will come up in a Virginia family law case. Child custody can be especially challenging as both parents might want primary custody. Once the determination is made as to which parent the child will live with, the other parent will be granted parenting time. In most instances, the parents will share the responsibility for raising and caring for the child as long as it serves the child’s best interests.

However, a custodial parent might want to relocate. This can happen in the immediate aftermath of the divorce or well after the couple has parted ways. State law addresses relocation and how it is handled. But it is often complicated with the parents disagreeing on how to proceed. A relocation can upend a parenting time schedule and lead to hard feelings on other matters. It is important to have advice to try and find a solution.

Know the facts about a parental relocation

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 Posted on January 07, 2026 in Divorce

The thought of divorce can leave you concerned about your financial future. After all, going from two incomes to one can dramatically decrease your standard of living, perhaps even rendering it difficult to make ends meet. This is especially true if you didn't work during your marriage or your career was stymied when you quit work to raise children. Fortunately, you may be able to alleviate your post-divorce financial strain by seeking spousal support.

When are you justified in requesting spousal support?

Not every spouse who requests alimony is granted the support that they want. Instead, if you plan on requesting spousal support, you'll need to be prepared to show certain factors. These include:

• That you have an inability to meet your financial obligations while maintaining the marital standard of living.
• Your spouse's ability to afford the spousal support that you're requesting.

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 Posted on December 16, 2025 in Divorce

Generally, mediation is an alternative to a court hearing that people use to resolve their disputes. is a particular type of mediation, focusing on helping couples resolve divorce-related issues like custody, property division and spousal support.

In most ways, divorce mediation works like any other type of mediation. It is a confidential process, meaning that what people say during a mediation session cannot come back to haunt them in court.

For the most part, mediation is also a voluntary process. Some Northern Virginia judges might order a couple to give mediation a good faith effort, but courts cannot force anyone to enter a mediated agreement.

During mediation, a qualified person, often a family law attorney or retired judge, will work with each spouse, sometimes with their attorneys, to resolve the couple's outstanding legal issues.

The mediator is not supposed to make decisions like a judge would, but they may point out certain information or even question a person's thought process behind their position.

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 Posted on December 02, 2025 in Child Custody

Child custody disputes can quickly become heated. If yours does, then you could find yourself on the receiving end of parental alienation accusations. Parental alienation is the process of manipulating a child to distance them from their other parent, usually in hopes of securing a more favorable custody arrangement. Parental alienation can run the spectrum of severity, too, including everything from withholding the other parent's access to the child to abuse or neglect.

If you've been accused of parental alienation, then you need to be prepared to fight back. After all, courts have become more receptive to these arguments, which means if you're ill-prepared, then you might see the court issue a custody order that's harmful to you, your child and your relationship with your child. With that in mind, here are some ways you may be able to counter assertions of parental alienation:

• Gather evidence that contradicts the other parent's assertions, whether other witness accounts or documentation of the events at hand.

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 Posted on November 21, 2025 in Child Custody

Virginia parents who are ending their relationship and in the middle of a dispute over child custody will have a litany of concerns. Often, a parent enters the process thinking they are already at a disadvantage for a variety of reasons. One is the preconceived notion that one parent will receive preferential treatment because of their gender.

From the start, people need to understand that state law does not factor in a person's gender when it decides on child custody and parenting time. Still, parents must be vigilant about every part of the child custody determination. To reach a favorable outcome, it is wise to have professional advice from the beginning.

Best interests do not include parents' gender in child custody

The primary consideration in child custody is serving the child's best interests. That includes the ages of the child and the parents, their physical and mental conditions; the environment the child will live in; their education, health care, the child's basic needs; the parental history; being cooperative with the other parent; the child's preferences; and if there were past issues with violence, abuse, or neglect.

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 Posted on November 19, 2025 in Divorce

Yes, you may have options to address hidden assets even after your divorce is final. Courts in Virginia treat asset concealment seriously because it can disrupt a balanced division of marital property. If you learn that your ex-spouse withheld income or property after the divorce, there are steps you might consider to protect your interests.

What happens if you uncover concealed assets?

Finding undeclared property or funds after a divorce can allow you to petition the court to reopen or adjust the divorce order. You will need to show evidence that your ex-spouse intentionally hid those assets during the proceedings. Depending on the situation, the court may:

• Award you a larger share of the marital estate to reflect the newly discovered assets
• Require your ex-spouse to cover legal fees tied to pursuing the property
• Impose sanctions or contempt charges on the spouse who concealed assets

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 Posted on October 24, 2025 in Child Custody

In Virginia family law cases, children can be caught in the middle. Often, both parents want to receive primary custody of their child. When the court assesses cases in which custody is in dispute, there are fundamental factors it will consider. For some parents, there have been past issues that could be brought up as the case moves forward.

While this might be worrisome, it does not necessarily mean that the parent who is confronted with past challenges has no chance at getting custody. In these cases, it is important to recognize what could be referenced in the case and how to mitigate it. This can also impact parenting time, so it is vital to be fully prepared.

Recognize what could cause a problem with a child custody case

First and foremost, the court looks at the child's best interests. That includes the child receiving the proper education, receiving quality nutrition, getting medical care, how old the parents are, how old the child is, if there are special circumstances, the parents' ability to care for the child, and if the child has preferences and is mature enough to express them.

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 Posted on October 16, 2025 in Divorce

The more assets that spouses share with one another, the more opportunities there are for complications during divorce. Couples who have built a well-diversified portfolio of assets may have a lengthy negotiation process ahead as they prepare to divide their resources during divorce.

To reach a fair outcome, spouses generally need to have an understanding of what their property is worth. Seeking out professional valuations of the most important assets in a marital estate can make a major difference for divorcing spouses.

Why does valuation matter?

Asset valuation is important during divorce because spouses may not know what their assets are truly worth. A small business is the perfect example of how challenging it can be to value resources. There are numerous different valuation methods that couples can use, and each of those methods for determining what a company is worth could produce different fair market values.

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 Posted on October 14, 2025 in Divorce

Divorce requires honesty, especially about money. If one spouse hides assets-like cash, property, or income-it can impact how the court divides everything. Virginia law demands complete financial disclosure from both parties. Lying about money can lead to serious legal trouble.

Common methods of hiding assets

Individuals may try to obscure assets by transferring them to friends or relatives, opening undisclosed bank accounts, underreporting income, or deferring bonuses and commissions. Some make large cash purchases to avoid creating a paper trail. These tactics create the illusion of having fewer assets than actually exist.

Legal response to concealment

When a court discovers that one spouse has intentionally hidden assets, it can impose sanctions and adjust the asset division to account for the deception. Virginia applies an equitable distribution standard, meaning assets are divided based on fairness, not necessarily equally. If a party has engaged in fraudulent behavior, the court may award a larger share of the marital estate to the other spouse. In addition, the court may order the dishonest party to pay attorney's fees or hold them in contempt.

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 Posted on October 10, 2025 in Divorce

When people decide to get a divorce in Virginia, they often want to get it over with as quickly as possible. However, the law has a list of justifications for which one must be proven before the divorce can move forward. These are called grounds for divorce.

What people might not realize is that there is a difference between a fault-based divorce and a no-fault divorce. If it is a fault-based divorce, then there is no waiting period. However, since most people get a no-fault divorce, there is a waiting period. When planning a divorce, this needs to be considered as part of the process.

When is there a waiting period for a Virginia divorce?

A no-fault divorce means that the parties do not intend to prove any marital misconduct to end the marriage. A fault-based divorce would mean that there needs to be proof of abuse, adultery, or some other form of misbehavior. No-fault divorces are easier as the parties simply need to adhere to the law and end the marriage.

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