Family Law

Divorce is a usually stressful experience. You can mitigate your stress with a competent divorce lawyer who is attentive to your concerns. We provide legal representation in contested divorce or uncontested divorce, adoption and guardianship proceedings. We draft and negotiate separation agreements, prior to or pending divorce proceedings, resolving issues like child support, spousal support, child custody and property settlement.

This divorce law firm has twenty years experience in Northern Virginia, in Northern Virginia, Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Prince William County, Manassas City, Manassas Park, Fauquier County, Loudon County, Stafford County, Alexandria City, Arlington County, and Falls Church.

DIVORCE

Grounds for Divorce

(a) Divorce from bed and board. This is not a complete divorce in that the husband and wife are legally separated but are not eligible to remarry another person.

- Willful Desertion or Abandonment. Leaving the conjugal abode with the intent to desert the remaining spouse.

- Infliction of bodily harm, including putting the other spouse in fear of bodily harm

(a) Absolute divorce from the bond of matrimony

- Separation for more than six months, or one year in the case of spouses with minor children or those who do not execute a written separation agreement. This is also referred to as “no fault” divorce because misconduct by either party is not an issue, except in cases where spousal support is requested;

- Adultery or Sodomy. Adultery is engaging in sexual relations with another person not his/her spouse. Sodomy is engaging in unnatural sexual acts.

- Felony conviction. Conviction of one spouse of a felony crime resulting in actual prison confinement for more than one year is a ground for divorce if the other party does not resume cohabitation with the convicted spouse after knowledge of the confinement.

- One year after divorce from bed and board based on desertion or cruelty.

ANNULMENT - It is a legal decree holding that the marriage is void based on grounds specified by statute, i.e., incestuous marriage, lack of mental capacity, fraud or duress.

GUARDIANSHIP - Appointment by a Court granting authority to a person to manage the personal affairs of a minor or incapacitated person, including responsibility for making decisions regarding the person’s support, care, health, safety, habitation, education, therapeutic treatment and even residence.

ADOPTION- Establishes parent-child relationship between adopter and adopted child.