Norfolk Family Law

Most of the time, people need a family lawyer because they are dealing with issues regarding a divorce. However, in some situations, you may need an experienced attorney before getting married. For example, if you are deciding whether or not to sign a prenuptial agreement, legal representation can be vital.

Before you sign, your attorney will ensure you are fully aware of all the legal implications presented by this agreement, including your rights and responsibilities.

The complexity of prenuptial agreements can vary significantly. In some cases, these agreements only cover how a few specific assets will be divided should you get divorced. Meanwhile, other agreements fully lay out the terms of a potential divorce and how any issues that might need to be handled will be resolved.

Even in the most amicable separations, divorce brings stress and financial strain. Decisions made during this time will have enduring effects on your life, shaped by the unique aspects of your marriage and personal circumstances.

Key disputes typically needing resolution in a divorce include:

• Spousal support: Determining financial support for a spouse post-divorce.
• Custody and visitation: Establishing where and how children will live and spend time with each parent.
• Child support: Calculating financial support for your children’s needs.
• Division of property: Splitting ownership of homes, businesses, and other properties.
• Division of assets: Distributing pensions, retirement accounts, and other financial assets.

These issues are crucial for laying the groundwork for your future post-divorce, ensuring fairness and stability for all involved.

Military Divorce

Military divorces come with challenges not found in civilian cases, such as dealing with deployments, military pensions, and benefits. Our Norfolk military divorce attorneys have a wealth of experience assisting servicemen and women, ensuring their rights and interests are safeguarded.

Handling military divorces requires a deep understanding of issues like the division of military pensions and managing custody across distances. Our team is skilled in addressing these unique factors and offers comprehensive support whether you’re stationed locally or overseas.

We are dedicated to keeping you fully informed about every development in your case, ensuring you’re always aware of your legal standing and options.

With time, the original terms of your divorce may no longer be appropriate for your situation because of changes in your life or the lives of your former spouse or children. If changes need to be made, you can petition the court to reopen your divorce agreement or order and make modifications.

An experienced divorce modifications lawyer can help protect your interests during the modifications process, whether you or your ex-spouse are seeking them. The most commonly modified terms of divorce include custody and visitation, child support, and spousal support.

Matters of custody and visitation can become incredibly emotional and are often the most contested part of a divorce involving children. Your children can easily get caught in the middle of these disputes, making divorce significantly more difficult. The best way to minimize the damage is by working out the terms of your custody arrangement with your former spouse.

If you are unable to reach a custody agreement by working with your spouse directly or through mediation, the court will rule on custody. The presiding judge will review all relevant information and decide what is in the best interest of your children.

Our experienced team will help you through every stage of the divorce process, including filing custody or visitation petitions and handling the potential appointment of a guardian ad litem.

After custody and visitation, the most pressing issue that needs to be resolved in divorce cases involving children is child support. The court will consider several factors before making a ruling on child support, including:

• Your custody arrangement
• The financial means of both parents
• The financial needs of your children

If you have children with special needs, the judge appointed to your case will likely deviate from the standard support guidelines to ensure that the needs of your children are met.

Securing the services of an experienced child support attorney can be crucial whether you are paying or receiving child support. Your lawyer will help protect your rights while ensuring the court properly calculates the amount of child support that should be paid.

Whether or not you have children with your former spouse, a critical issue that will likely need to be resolved is spousal support. The judge will consider many factors when deciding how much spousal support should be paid and the length of time for payments. Some of the factors that most significantly influence the size of spousal support payments include:

• The financial needs of you and your former spouse
• The earning capacity of both parties
• The employment status of both parties
• Any additional income sources for either party

The primary factor considered in determining how long payments will continue is the length of the marriage. In longer marriages that last decades rather than years, lifetime support is common.