Posted on December 15, 2021 in Divorce

The disruption in the family unit brought about by a divorce may affect children in several ways. For starters, they may not understand what is going on between the parents and why they must separate. In addition, the sudden shift from having both parents under one roof may take a toll on their emotional and psychological well-being.

Depending on your child's age, these effects may be short-term or have far-reaching implications that might affect their future. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what your child could be going through so that you can help them cope and adjust to reality.

Social and behavioral problems

Divorce is a distressing time for the kids, and it could lead to the development of antisocial or violent behavior. Children may view it as abandonment, affecting their social skills and ability to maintain healthy relationships. In addition, therisk of substance abuse is heightened as they may try to find ways to numb the pain. Depression, too, is a real possibility, especially when the child gets overwhelmed by the flurry of emotions brought about by divorce.

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 Posted on December 13, 2021 in Divorce

People decide to file for divorce for all kinds of reasons, including money problems, disputes with in-laws and infidelity. However, health issues can also impact the stability of someone's marriage.

Although marriage vows typically include promises to stay together despite health issues, the reality of medical concerns may push some people to file for divorce. What are some of the medical issues that have a strong correlation with divorce risk?

Diagnosis with a serious or chronic illness

When a doctor diagnoses you with a condition that will affect your quality of life, required nursing support or prove terminal, you want to be able to rely on your spouse.

Unfortunately, some people will file for divorce when their spouse faces a medical issue that could threaten their life. These individuals may feel that their spouse has aged more quickly than they have or that they don't want to dedicate their lives to caregiving.

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 Posted on November 29, 2021 in Divorce

Divorce can be an expensive and frustrating process. Spouses may let their emotions run the show and will fight with one another both in private and in court. That fighting doesn't just stress you out. It also increases how much your divorce costs. Your emotions now can also make sharing custody later that much harder.

Some people might want to explore alternative dispute resolution options for their divorce. How could alternative dispute resolution help you at the end of your marriage?

You have the opportunity to resolve things outside of court

A big part of what makes divorce so expensive is the time you spend in court. When a judge has to resolve your disputes, you have to spend a lot of time and effort gathering evidence and then presenting your case. Court fees add up, as do filing fees and attorney fees.

If you and your ex can resolve things outside of court, an uncontested filing can be a faster and more cost-effective solution than litigation. Some couples are able to directly collaborate with one another, often with the assistance of their attorneys. Other times, involving an outside professional for may be necessary.

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 Posted on November 13, 2021 in Divorce

If you qualify for an annulment instead of divorce, you can erase your marriage, making it as though it never happened in the first place. An annulment is an option in Virginia and other states in situations where marriage should not ever have occurred.

The annulment laws in Virginia dictate how you can end a marriage without getting a traditional divorce. If you are seeking an annulment, it is wise to .

Under what conditions can you have a marriage annulled?

Many states consider acts of fraud particularly reprehensible and often approve annulments for marriages with this element. Virginia is no exception, naming fraud as an acceptable reason for annulments.

An example of fraud in a marriage involves marrying a person while still married to someone else, and it qualifies as an acceptable reason for annulment. Other grounds for annulment include:

• Mental incapacity at the time of marriage
• Duress or coercion
• Pregnancy by someone other than the spouse

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 Posted on November 02, 2021 in Child Custody

The end of a marriage comes with considerable change in every aspect of your life. As you're going through the divorce, you must ensure that you're making decisions that enable you to start your new life on the right foot.

There are several things that you need to think about when you're in this position. One thing that you probably want to do is to make things as easy as possible. Trying to reduce your stress is likely a priority.

Choose your battles carefully

You shouldn't try to fight about every aspect of the divorce. Before you embark on the legal battle, think about what's truly important to you. Focus on those things, and don't spend your energy on others. You may not have your way with everything important to you, but at least you won't waste your time on pointless matters.

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 Posted on October 14, 2021 in Child Custody

You know that conflict makes divorce harder on children, but it is still so hard to have to see your ex every couple of days to exchange custody. Especially if they keep showing up late or with their new romantic partner in the front passenger seat of their car, you may want to give them a piece of your mind.

However, arguing during custody exchanges will only worsen your relationship with your ex and add a lot of stress to the experience for your children. A couple of simple rules could help you avoid conflict during those transitional times.

Agree to only communicate about crucial details in person

Unless your children are so small that you need to physically place them in a car seat, you may not need to interact with your ex at all during the custody exchange directly. You can just let them in the house or wait for them to enter your vehicle without talking to your ex.

You could still wave to acknowledge them so as not to be rude without starting a conversation that might devolve into an argument. If you do have to talk face-to-face, it should only be about important details that you can't communicate otherwise at the moment.

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 Posted on October 13, 2021 in Child Custody

Sharing custody usually means that one parent has the children while the other does not. However, there are many less-common forms of shared custody that can work well for certain modern families.

Split custody is a unique parenting arrangement that involves each parent in a family taking responsibility for specific children, possibly with some exchanges and meetups to get all the siblings together at once.

There are many times when a family might benefit from split custody, but the three below are among the most common reasons that parents decide to divide the custody of their children rather than simply share it.

When you have a very large family

The more children you have, the harder it is for one parent to reliably provide for all of their needs simultaneously. If your family has more than three or four children, split custody might be a good arrangement because it lets each parent care for the children without overwhelming either of them.

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 Posted on October 04, 2021 in Divorce

An uncontested divorce is one where both parties are in agreement. Couples need only to agree on pertinent divorce issues, such as child and spousal support, custody and property division outside of court that a judge would otherwise decide.

While resolving your differences this way may save you time and money involved in the judicial process, it's not always the best option for you, as detailed below.

The advantages of an uncontested divorce

Saving on costs is perhaps the most significant upside of having an uncontested divorce. Attorney fees and the other expenses in a typical divorce are less likely to apply in an uncontested divorce. In addition, an uncontested divorce offers the divorcing couple some privacy. Divorce records are considered public, and an uncontested divorce may prevent any scrutiny of a family's assets or properties.

Disadvantages of an uncontested divorce

An uncontested divorce also has its cons. For instance, the terms may not be fair, and you will likely end up with less than you deserve. Also, your spouse may move assets in bad faith. Such assets transfer will affect the amount of property or assets involved in the divorce, which would not be the case in a contested divorce - court orders would prevent that.

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 Posted on September 20, 2021 in Child Custody

One of the biggest concerns divorcing parents in Leesburg have centers around losing contact with their children. When a parent has a questionable history, these concerns are even more pronounced, especially during the child custody stage of divorce.

As is the case in all states, Virginia courts want to keep both parents involved in their kids' lives. If there are safety concerns, courts still strive to promote parent/child relationships. Often this means ordering supervised visitation in a safe setting.

Why do courts require supervised visitation?

Preserving the safety, emotional health and physical wellbeing of children is the top priority in family courts. Ordering supervised visitation and supervised custody exchanges, when applicable, allows courts to balance the benefits of parent/child contact with the safety of the involved children.

Situations that may require supervised visitation include:

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 Posted on September 13, 2021 in Child Custody

After being in a difficult marriage, you and your spouse may have decided to divorce. As you grieve the loss of your dreams, you may also be experiencing fear. What will happen? How will the divorce affect your children?

To make your split even more painful, your spouse may be a difficult person to live with, let alone negotiate with. They may have already told you that child custody or visitation will go their way.

A divorce doesn't have to become even more difficult

From finances, the house and splitting the bills in half you and your spouse may be trying to come to an agreement on child custody and visitation. You may be concerned for the emotional well-being of your children.

Your spouse has a history of being difficult. Their actions and words have led to your children crying in the past. The children may have expressed some fear of their other parent.

Put the children and their needs first

As you and your spouse discuss the custody of your children, put their needs first. Their emotions may be in turmoil during this time. They need your love and attention more now. When you try to remind your spouse of this, they may grow angry and accuse you of calling them "abusive."

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