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Recent Blog Posts

Talking to Your Children About Divorce

July 7, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

In any divorce or separation involving children, it’s important that the children understand what is happening and parents address their concerns at each stage. No matter their age or maturity leve…

Divorced Spouse Gets to Keep Ill-Gotten OPM Benefits

June 9, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Divorce

Keep the Money, and Run! In a recent case, the Virginia Supreme Court allowed a divorced wife to keep almost $63,000 worth of survivor benefits wrongfully paid to her by OPM. Read more. Read the op…

Child Support and Imputation of Income

June 6, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

What happens to child support when one parent switches careers or quits their job? Guideline Child Support Every parent has a duty to support their children, whether or not they are employed. When …

How Divorce is Different for the Special Needs Child

May 31, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

Today, 25% of households in the United States have a member with special needs. An estimated eight percent of children in the United States under the age of 15 have some type of disability or speci…

FAQ’s about Divorce in Virginia

April 18, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

If you’re filing for divorce in Virginia, you likely have many questions. Should I file for a no-fault or fault-based divorce? Who will get custody of my children? Am I eligible for an annulment in…

Business Formation: An Infographic

January 27, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Uncategorized

Custody and Relocation in Virginia

January 20, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

“If I have sole custody, can the other parent prevent me from relocating with my child?” Possibly, depending on how the move will impact the child and the current visitation schedule with the non-c…

Legal Advice for When You Win the Lottery

January 13, 2016 | Rebecca Melone | Uncategorized

Now that the lottery has reached a record $1.4 billion, many people are rushing to buy tickets and, better yet, make plans for what to do with all of their winnings. But the dreaded “lottery curse”…

Subway Settles Suit Over Sandwich Length

October 30, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Uncategorized

“On October 21, 2015, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman of the Eastern District of Wisconsin preliminarily approved a settlement in the lawsuit against Subway involving allegations that the fast foo…

Spousal Support in Virginia Guide

September 15, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Divorce

Spousal support is a form of monetary support paid to the more financially dependent spouse and is based on a number of factors, including length of the marriage and financial ability of each party…

Melone Hatley is Proud to Sponsor the 2015 Wounded Warrior Golf Classic

August 8, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Uncategorized

Each year, members of the Wounded Warriors Golf Classic tee off with members of the military to raise awareness of the difficult challenges the wounded warriors face each day at home and at…

Recall: Lululemon Tops May Cause Injury

July 1, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Uncategorized

Several women’s tops from Lululemon are under recall due to the following hazard: “When the elastic draw cord with a hard tip in the hood or around the neck area is pulled or caught on something an…

Lawsuit: Boeing Endangered Passengers and Attendants with Toxic Cabin Air

June 24, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Advance Medical Directives

Four flight attendants from Alaska Airlines filed suit claiming they were exposed to toxic air in airline cabins. The suit further claims that Boeing was aware of the danger and knowingly put passe…

Guardianship and Conservatorship in Virginia

June 15, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Estate Planning

Guardians and conservators are appointed to represent and protect the interests of incapacitated persons. Incapacitation means the person is unable to make decisions on their own. The incapacitated…

Emergency Child Custody in Virginia

June 11, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

If a child’s health or safety is at risk in their current environment, parents or other interested parties can petition the court for emergency child custody. There are specific rules that apply to…

Third Party Custody and the Parental Presumption

May 9, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Family Law

In Virginia, custody of a child may be awarded to any non-parent with a legitimate interest. The statute provides a presumption for the “primacy of the parent-child relationship.” Va Code 20-124.2(…

Open Container Laws in Virginia

March 10, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Criminal Law

Many Virginians are surprised to learn that the Commonwealth does not currently prohibit passengers in a motor vehicle from having open alcohol containers. Several attempts from the Virginia Genera…

VIDEO: DUI Administrative Hearings

March 1, 2015 | Rebecca Melone | Criminal Law

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What a breath of fresh air they were. After dealing with a terrible firm that took a divorce and turned it into a year long $30,000 nightmare. Emily Vaughn turned my case around in as little as a week. All parties were talking again and it was fin...

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