Blog: Divorce

People who are going through a divorce are usually focused on the primary assets, such as the marital home. They might not think about some of the other assets that must be divided. These include things like the household appliances, special collections and similar assets. People who have retirement accounts or a family business will have to determine how to handle those, which can be complex undertakings. Deciding what you’re going to do with a...

You and your spouse know everything you want to do with your divorce. You both believe that you can work out any minor disagreements yourselves, and neither one of you wants to drag things out longer than is necessary. An uncontested divorce is simply a divorce that neither party is contesting, and it’s what you may be interested in filing if you and your spouse agree on how you want to separate. To go through...

You and your ex-spouse both love your kids. Even if you and they no longer love each other, you have the kids in common — and that’s worth making co-parenting work. Here are some co-parenting tips for beginners: 1. Find a safe place to vent. There are going to be times when your ex-spouse still aggravates you, no matter how polite you’re both trying to be. You may also still have some old emotional wounds...

One of the things parties may fail to consider when going through a divorce are tax ramifications. Once a divorce is finalized, the next tax filing period will look a lot different. First, you must remember to change your withholdings with your employer. You will now claim single rather than married. If children are involved, your dependents may also need to be changed depending on your custody agreement. This is a very important step, as...

When the courts set the final terms for child custody and support in your divorce, they issue a final decree in the form of a court order. Many people view these documents as legally binding and permanent, but that isn’t always the case. While any court order is legally binding and requires compliance from its subjects, it is possible to change court orders if the circumstances in your life also change. The child support that...

Property division during divorce can feel overwhelming which is why it is important for divorcing couples to keep in mind that the family law process provides legal resources to help guide them through the process of dividing their property. In some circumstances, divorcing couples are dividing a lifetime of property they have acquired together so understanding basic property division principles can help guide them through the property division process. It is always helpful for divorcing...

Divorce has a way of shaking up your financial circumstances. You will have to share your debt, as well as your assets, with your ex. Many people find that they have to adjust their expectation regarding their standard of living. In fact, it can be a downright struggle for you to make ends meet in the days immediately following the end of your marriage. If you have primary custody of the children from your marriage,...

What is in the best interests of the child is an important family law standard to be familiar with. What is in the best interests of the child guides child custody decision-making. Because of this, it is important for divorcing parents to be familiar with. The focus of child custody determinations is what is in the best interests of the child. This is true whether the family law court is developing a child custody arrangement...

Spousal support is one of the issues divorcing couples may need to resolve when they decide to end their marriage. In Virginia, spousal support is generally awarded only when it is necessary, so it is also useful to be aware of what necessary circumstances might be and when the court commonly awards spousal support. In Virginia, the family law court may award spousal support during divorce in circumstances when there is a large gap in...

Child custody was once a winner-take-all situation in the majority of divorces. The courts across the country used to favor custody arrangements in which one spouse received primary custody and the other received visitation. However, years of psychological and social research have made it clear that single-parent custody solutions usually don’t benefit the children as much as shared custody. Courts across the country, including in Virginia, now prefer to split physical and legal custody between...