Posted on March 21, 2022 in Family Law

A Virginia divorce will shake up most areas of your life. It will change your schedule and what assets you have access to. It will also affect when you spend time with your children.

If you share ownership of your house with your spouse, then a divorce will also impact where you live. For many people in Virginia, their home is the most valuable thing that they own. Often, people think they must keep the house when they divorce in Virginia.

Do you want to retain your home after the divorce?

You don't have to keep the house to retain your share of it

Maintaining a home on your own isn't easy, and neither is qualifying for a mortgage based solely on one person's income. You will likely need to refinance if you intend to keep the marital home, so you need to look realistically at your finances to see if staying in the home is realistic.

Virginia's equitable distribution laws allow you to claim the value of the property that you share with your spouse even if you don't ask to keep that asset. There is no all-or-nothing approach, especially with major assets. Instead, the value of one asset helps balance out other property or debt.

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 Posted on March 11, 2022 in Divorce

One of the most challenging aspects of a divorce is settling matters related to child custody. Personal disputes between spouses can often cloud the judgment of both parents, even though they have the best interests of the child at heart.

Difficult as it can be, it is important for both spouses to try and put their personal grievances to one side during custody negotiations. Staying on point during custody proceedings can be trying, but the following tips could help.

Organization is key

It is very easy to become consumed by the emotional turmoil of a legal separation and custody case. Nonetheless, it is important to try and put this to one side and focus on what you can control. One of the most productive things you can do is keep an organized account of what is going on. You may wish to log interactions with your spouse, both in terms of the more productive and contested conversations. You could jeopardize your case by flying off the handle, whereas remaining composed and carefully planning your next steps will show the court that you are a conscientious parent.

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 Posted on February 23, 2022 in Child Custody

One of the things you will need as a divorcing parent is a parenting plan.

Whether a Virginia family court orders one or you decide to create one yourself, a parenting plan comes with several advantages. Examples of these advantages include:

• Sets a consistent schedule for parents and children
• Helps you and your co-parent prepare in advance for events and holidays
• Promotes communication and cooperation between co-parents
• Increases security and stability for children of divorce

As you probably know, it is often hard for divorcing parents to agree on matters involving their children. However, it is usually worth the effort it takes to iron out equitable child custody and parenting plans.

Negotiation tips to consider

Perhaps the most critical tip when negotiating acustody pr parenting plan is to know what you are talking about in the first place. If you do not understand thechild custody laws in Virginia, your final agreement might turn out to be worthless or legally invalid. Five more tips to consider using during your negotiations include the following.

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 Posted on February 14, 2022 in Divorce

You can legally get married when you turn 18, but it is a risk. Studies have repeatedly found that those who get married at a very young age get divorced at a higher rate than those who wait. In fact, there are those who believe that the most stable marriages happen when people wait until they're in their early thirties.

Have you ever wondered why this happens? What is it about getting married at such a young age that means it's not going to last?

You may feel like you're missing out on life

One potential problem is that you or your spouse could begin feeling like you're missing out on all the fun that your friends are having. You're just home trying to make a difficult marriage work. Everyone else is talking about traveling and dating and having new experiences, but you don't get to do all of that. It can make you feel alienated and alone.

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 Posted on February 10, 2022 in Child Custody

No matter how carefully you try to craft the terms of your custody arrangements, you will eventually need to change them. As your children grow and mature, their needs and daily schedules will change as well.

Virginia law allows you to modify an existing custody order after a change in family circumstances. Recognizing when your family needs a modification to its existing custody order can help you minimize co-parenting conflict.

When either parent changes jobs

Working a different shift or having more job responsibilities to take home after work can affect how someone parents and what time they can commit to the children. If either parent changes professions or jobs, that change may justify a custody modification.

When the children reached school age

The custody demands of a preschool child will be very different than the needs of a grade school child.

Both parents may need to make changes to their weekly schedules and therefore to the parenting plan when the children start school and no longer require daycare. Parents will have to address everything from who picks the kids up when they are sick to who takes the children over school breaks.

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 Posted on January 28, 2022 in Divorce

Are your instincts alerting you that something is amiss in your marriage? When you live with your spouse, you're familiar with their daily routines and how they act and react in most situations. Lately, you get the feeling that something is a bit "off" with your spouse.

While you hate to consider it, you start to suspect that your spouse might be having an affair. Below are some signs that could confirm your suspicions.

Your spouse periodically "goes dark" and is unreachable

There can be legitimate reasons why someone is unable to text back or answer the phone. But if this happens frequently during times when they should be available, that might be a red flag.

Your spouse suddenly improves their appearance

Joining a gym, dieting or otherwise improving one's appearance can be a good thing. But it can also mean that your spouse is trying to appear more attractive to someone else besides you.

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 Posted on January 13, 2022 in Child Custody

Keeping it real, divorce is hard on families, and it's often hardest of all on the children. It can even be more challenging for a parent to retain strong bonds with their kids when that parent lives in another city or state.

Those situations can arise from many circumstances. New jobs, remarriages or other reasons can put distance between a child and their much-loved parent. Then, they must find ways to remain connected with one another.

Welcome to virtual visitations

When parent and child are apart, virtual visitation can become the next best thing to being there. It's the responsibility of the parent to find ways to sustain and enhance their relationship with their child in lieu of being a frequent physical presence in the child's life.

Below are some activities they can share with their kids across the miles:

• Facetiming over the phone or computer. Thanks to technology, parents and children can be virtually in touch every day. By setting a specific time to "meet" online via Zoom or Skype or Facetiming on the phone, the child can give daily updates about their life.

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 Posted on December 27, 2021 in Divorce

If you're preparing to divorce in the new year, you may have some concerns about how it will affect your work - particularly if you go to an office or other workplace every day. For many people, it's a relief to focus on work rather than the myriad decisions and concerns that surround their divorce.

However, it can still be difficult to navigate what's happening in your life and maintain your professionalism and commitment to your job. Let's look at a few things that will help.

Tell your manager about the divorce

Even if you aren't close enough to anyone at work to tell them about the divorce, your boss needs to know. You don't have to - and probably shouldn't - share too many details. However, you may need to take a little time off at some point to deal with legal matters or childcare issues. Don't spring the news on them only when you need to leave early or take a morning off.

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 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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