Virginia Beach Family Law Lawyer

The area of family law can cover a wide range of complex issues related to marriage and divorce. If you attempt to navigate these issues on your own, it will unlikely yield a favorable outcome. Fortunately, an experienced family lawyer in Virginia Beach can help you with your case from start to finish and ensure your rights are protected.

At Melone Hatley, P.C., our experienced team of family law attorneys will approach your case with the compassion and expertise required to meet your goals. We understand the challenges you are facing and will aggressively pursue a resolution that meets your needs. Get help from our team today by giving us a call or using our website to schedule a free case consultation with a client service coordinator from our firm.

Family Law Issues We Handle at Our Firm

At our firm in Virginia Beach, we specialize in a wide array of family law matters, ensuring comprehensive legal support for all of your family law needs.

Schedule your free meeting with our team today to see if our Family Law Lawyers can help you.

Our Dedicated Team Includes:

• Prenuptial agreement lawyers
• Divorce lawyers
• Custody lawyers
• Child support lawyers
• Spousal support lawyers
• Divorce modification lawyers

This diverse expertise allows us to provide tailored legal solutions for everything from the anticipation of marriage to the complexities of divorce and beyond.

Virginia Beach Family Law Lawyer Near Me 757-296-0580

Understanding Prenuptial Agreements: Our Role as a Family Lawyer

Generally, people think of family law attorneys as just handling divorce and child custody issues. However, there are many instances when we can help people prepare for marriage through prenuptial agreements.

If you are considering signing or creating a prenuptial agreement, you will want to work with our experienced family law lawyers to ensure that your future goals are protected. We will work with you to ensure that the agreement reflects what you want and that you understand everything you are signing. 

The complexity of a prenuptial agreement can vary significantly. In some cases, these agreements merely outline how a few specific assets will be distributed should your marriage end in divorce. In other cases, every issue that may arise during a divorce will be settled in these agreements before entering into a marriage.

Before signing a prenuptial agreement, it is essential that you hire an experienced family attorney serving Virginia Beach to review the terms and ensure that you fully grasp all the legal consequences.

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Managing Key Divorce Issues: Protecting Your Future

If you are going through a divorce, you know that even in the best conditions, divorce is stressful and expensive. Several issues must be settled that will have a significant impact on the rest of your life. The details of your marriage and your life will determine the exact issues you will need to resolve. Some of the biggest disputes during a divorce include:

• Custody and visitation of any shared children
• Child support
• Spousal support
• Division of property, including any homes and businesses
• Division of assets, including any retirement and pension accounts

You need to protect your rights and interests during a divorce to ensure a positive future. The legal team at Melone Hatley, P.C. can help you navigate every aspect of your divorce. From filing for divorce until there is a final order for divorce, we will be by your side, working to ensure that your goals are achieved.

Schedule a call with one of our client services coordinators today

Handling Unique Challenges in Military Divorce Cases

If you or your spouse are in the military, you understand the unique challenges that you always face. Divorce is no different. Our experienced team of military divorce lawyers serving Virginia Beach has a long history of ensuring servicemen and women are protected through the divorce process. We will keep you up to date with all developments in your case, even if you cannot be physically present.

Our approach to your case will be based on the specific details of your situation. We will help ensure that your and your family’s rights are protected and that your goals are achieved.

Navigating Custody Disputes with Care

If you have children and are going through the divorce process, you know that the most contentious part of your divorce is the battle over custody and visitation. Custody disputes are often emotionally charged and can be incredibly difficult on everyone involved. 

To make matters even more stressful, the best time to fight for visitation and custody that is in the best interest of your children is during the divorce process. It is not uncommon for the final decision on custody and decision to be handled by the court. In making a decision, the judge will decide what is in the best interest of the children under Virginia Code 20-124.3.

Our experienced team can help guide you through the custody process, including the appointment of and working with a guardian ad litem.

Understanding Child Support Decisions

Another critical and stressful factor that will need to be resolved in a divorce involving children is child support. The court will consider a variety of factors when deciding how support will be awarded, pursuant to Virginia Code 20-108.2, including:

• The custody arrangement
• The financial means of both parents
• The financial needs of the children
• If both parents have over 90 overnights with the children, the offset that will have on the child support

In cases involving children with special needs, the court often deviates from the standard guidelines regarding support to ensure the needs of the children are met. These deviations can be both in the amount of support and the duration of the support.

Whether you are the party who will be paying or receiving child support payments, you must hire an experienced child support attorney to protect you and your child’s rights and ensure that the court is properly calculating the support that should be paid.

Determining Spousal Support: Factors and Duration

Another contentious aspect that needs to be determined during a divorce is spousal support. The court will consider a variety of factors when determining the size of spousal support payments and how long support will be paid. Some of the factors that most significantly impact decisions regarding the amount awarded for spousal support according to Virginia Code 20-107.1 include:

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

Meanwhile, the main factor considered in determining how long payments will be made is the length of time you were married. For a long marriage, there is a chance that lifetime support will be awarded.

Modifying Your Divorce Agreement

With time, the circumstances of your life, or the lives of your former spouse or children, will likely change in a manner that makes certain terms of your original divorce order or property settlement agreement no longer make sense. In this situation, you may need to reopen your divorce to make modifications.

Whether you are requesting a change or your former spouse is seeking a modification, hiring an experienced divorce modification lawyer will be essential for you to ensure that you are protected. The most common modification requests involve custody and visitation, child support, and spousal support.

Get Help From an Experienced Family Lawyer in Virginia Beach Today

Whether you are preparing to get married, going through a divorce, or seeking to modify a divorce agreement or order, an experienced family attorney in Virginia Beach can help ensure you understand your rights and the implications of any legal action.

At Melone Hatley, P.C., we will provide you with the experienced and aggressive legal representation you need to resolve any matter of family law. Contact us through our website or by phone to schedule your free initial case review today.

Schedule a call with one of our client services coordinators today.