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When it comes to life's biggest stressors, the majority involve transitions within the family. Change within this unit creates uncertainty that is both a challenge and an opportunity.

As an alternative to litigation, the Collaborative Process offers the parties an opportunity to work together to reach an amicable resolution of the family law issue before them, whether it is divorce, a Premarital Agreement, post-divorce issues, or anything between.

With every paycheck, a person pays into social security and they accrue the right to benefits upon retirement. For many, this is a critical resource to make ends meet later in life. When a married person reaches retirement age, social security will pay the higher of the individual’s own retirement benefit or up to one half of their spouse’s benefit. But what happens if the couple divorces?

In Virginia, married couples can obtain an "uncontested divorce" if they meet all of the prerequisites and follow the correct procedures. As a streamlined process that minimizes the time and expense of a divorce, an uncontested divorce is highly appealing.

Getting served with legal papers is a frightening experience. A stranger, sometimes even a sheriff, hands you an envelope that contains multiple pages of legalese. Many people go their whole lives without being involved in a legal action, so it is a new, unpleasant experience to know that you are going to have to deal with the legal system.

Aside from home, health, and maintenance, one of the biggest parenting issues when raising children is their education. Following a divorce, legal and physical custodial rights do not necessarily dictate where a child will be educated or what role each parent will play in education, so this issue can become a source of dispute between the parties.

Family law disputes can be highly acrimonious, and accusations fly back and forth about the actions and behaviors of the parties. Among the worst of these exchanges are allegations of criminal activity.

A prenuptial agreement, or a "prenup", is a written agreement entered into by two people planning to marry in the near future. When the subject of a prenuptial agreement comes up, many people think it is something celebrities and billionaires use to handle a second spouse.

The COVID-19 crisis has interrupted life as we know it, and it has impacted how the Virginia courts are operating. While each county has different orders, most "non-essential" matters have been "continued" (i.e. postponed), in some cases until June, and in others, indefinitely. Among the matters impacted by these orders are ordinary family law trials.

As Family Law attorneys, we are frequently asked about prenuptial agreements, commonly referred to as "prenups."