Melone Hatley, P.C.
Melone Hatley, P.C.
(800) 479-8124
Free Consultation
(800) 479-8124

Our Blog

Spousal Support Trends in Virginia: Factors Courts Consider and How Recent Case Law Shapes Long-Term vs. Rehabilitative Support You Are Not Alone. We Will Be Your Partner Through This Challenging Time. Schedule a Call With One of Our Client Services Coordinators Schedule Now

Spousal Support Trends in Virginia: Factors Courts Consider and How Recent Case Law Shapes Long-Term vs. Rehabilitative Support

December 5, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Spousal Support

Divorce isn’t just about dissolving a marriage. It often reshapes each spouse’s financial future. For many couples, spousal support (often called alimony) becomes one of the most important – and contentious – issues in a divorce case. In Virginia, courts strive to create fair support orders, but “fair” rarely means the same thing across cases. …

What Happens if One Spouse Hides Assets During Divorce?

December 3, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Divorce Lawyer

Divorce is as much a financial untangling as it is an emotional one. When two lives have been financially intertwined, each partner must lay every card on the table when a marriage dissolves. And yet, some spouses are tempted to stack the deck in their favor, hoping to get a larger share. They shift cash …

Thinking About Divorce in January? Why You Should Start Preparing Now

December 1, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Divorce Lawyer

Thinking About Divorce in January? Why You Should Start Preparing Now The beginning of a new year always presents possibilities – New Year’s resolutions, fresh goals, and even the chance to start over. For some, that leads to even bigger decisions, especially if they’re considering ending a marriage. In fact, so many file for divorce …

Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney: What Caregivers Need to Know

November 26, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Guardians

Caring for a loved one, whether an aging parent or spouse, an adult child with disabilities, or someone facing serious illness, is a selfless act that often requires the caregiver to step in to help with important decisions. And at some point, the caregiver usually needs legal authority to make these decisions and manage their …

The Difference Between a Conservator and a Guardian

How You Can Avoid or Reduce Probate: General Tips and Knowledge to Get You Started

November 24, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Probate

Schedule a Free ConsultationMost people want their loved ones to inherit smoothly, not spend months (or years) in court to access the assets that were left to them. But if the estate goes through probate, that is precisely what can happen. Probate – the legal process that oversees how someone’s assets are distributed after death …

Legal Planning for Family Caregivers: How to Protect Your Loved Ones and Yourself

November 24, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Child Custody

Each November, National Family Caregivers Month recognizes the millions of family members who quietly shoulder the responsibility of caring for aging parents, disabled spouses, or loved ones facing chronic illness. These caregivers provide much more than meals, medication, and transportation. Their personal sacrifices are largely unnoticed, and yet they continue to show up out of …

Holiday Spending and Child Support: What Does it Cover

November 21, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Child Support

The holiday season often brings a whirlwind of expenses, from seasonal gifts to travel costs to see loved ones. And for separated or divorced parents in Florida, this can create confusion. Who pays for what? What is included in child support, and what isn’t? If you are co-parenting in Florida, understanding Florida’s child support laws …

Pre-Divorce Planning: What You Should Do Before the End of the Year

November 19, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Divorce Lawyer

Facing the possibility of a divorce is never easy, especially as the year comes to a close. Divorce isn’t just a legal process. It’s a financial and emotional turning point. Before December 31 rolls around, you should consider some practical steps to help protect your interests, position yourself for a smoother process, and begin the …

Child Custody in Virginia.. Can I Relocate Out of State?

Can I Relocate Out of State if I Share Custody?

November 17, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Child Custody

Schedule a Free ConsultationRelocation is a reality in today’s world. Whether it’s for a job, greater financial stability, family support, or safety, moving is just part of modern life. But after a separation or divorce, family courts must often decide whether and how far apart parents can live from each other when making relocation decisions. …

Divorce and Mental Health: Coping with Holiday Stress

November 17, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Divorce Lawyer

For many people going through divorce, the holidays are some of the loneliest times of the year. Despite glowing storefronts, office parties, and social media posts full of smiling families, you’re confronted with a steady reminder of the life you once had. The traditions that used to be comforting only further highlight what’s missing. Even …

Military Housing and Divorce: What Florida Families Should Know

November 14, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Military Divorce

Divorce can be an emotional and logistical challenge for any family, but for those who serve in the armed forces, or are married to someone who does, housing concerns often add another layer of legal complications. In the Tampa area, where military installations like MacDill Air Force Base play a major role in our community, …

The SCRA and Divorce: How Military Legal Protections Affect Family Law

November 12, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Military Divorce

Divorce is never easy, but for military families, it can present unique challenges that civilian divorces don’t involve. Active-duty service members face deployments, frequent relocations, and unpredictable schedules that can make it difficult to respond to legal filings or manage court deadlines in divorce or custody cases. To protect the men and women who serve, …

Can I Get an Annulment in Virginia?

How Can I Get an Annulment in My State?

November 11, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Separation Lawyer

Schedule a Free ConsultationWhat Makes Your Marriage Invalid – and How to Know if Annulment Is Right for You Annulment is a rare remedy compared to divorce. However, if the right conditions apply, it allows a court to declare that the marriage was never valid from the start. Unlike divorce, which ends a legally valid …

Custody and Deployment: Protecting Parental Rights in Military Families

November 10, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Military Divorce

Military families live a life of service and sacrifice that often goes quietly unnoticed. Day after day, they shoulder the weight of long separations, unpredictable schedules, and the constant demands of military duty. Spouses keep households running and provide stability for their children while service members fulfill their missions. This resilience is the backbone of …

Kinship Adoptions in Florida: Options for Relatives and Grandparents 

November 7, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Child Custody

For many families, love goes beyond the traditional boundaries of parent and child. Sometimes, when biological parents are unable to provide care, relatives step forward to ensure that children are not left without a stable, loving home. In Florida, this is known as kinship adoption, a legal process that allows grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, or …

Adoption and Termination of Parental Rights

Adoption and Termination of Parental Rights: How the Court Decides 

November 5, 2025 | Rebecca Melone | Child Custody

Adoption and Termination of Parental Rights: How the Court Decides  Adoption is one of the most rewarding areas of family law because it gives children the chance of a safe, stable, and permanent home. For adoptive parents, it can represent the fulfillment of a dream. For children, it provides security and a sense of loving permanence within a family.  However, adoption also involves legalities that must first be addressed. For an adoption to move forward, …

Growing Families Through Adoption

Growing Families Through Adoption: What You Need to Know About the Legal Process 

November 3, 2025 | Charles Hatley | Child Support

Growing Families Through Adoption: What You Need to Know About the Legal Process By: K. Sloan Lambert, Esq.   Adoption is one of the most meaningful ways to build a family. Each November, during National Adoption Month, our family law attorneys at Melone Hatley, P.C. like to recognize the thousands of families formed through the adoption process and highlight the legal process – …

Laredo Blog Image

How to Keep Laredo Property Out of Probate Using Transfer-On-Death Tools 

October 31, 2025 | Valerie Cortinas Fisher | Estate Planning

How to Keep Laredo Property Out of Probate Using Transfer-On-Death Tools  When a loved one passes away, families not only face the immense grief of the loss but also the stress and cost of administering the estate. This process is called probate.   The probate process can be time-consuming and costly. For families in Laredo, where property ownership often ties into cultural heritage and family legacy, avoiding probate whenever possible can protect financial …