Fairfax Family Law Blog

How divorce impacts a person's online life

On behalf of Powell Piper Radomsky, PLLC posted in divorce on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

When a Virginia couple decides to move forward with ending their marriage, they will have to decide on things such as how to divide marital property and how to arrange a reasonable child custody schedule. However, the decisions do not stop there. When walking through a divorce, a person will also find it beneficial to be intentional about extricating his or her online life from other party's online life.

Technology and social media play a large role in everyday life, and a divorce will change that. Passwords, online accounts and even social profiles will need to be changed, updated or deleted. Taking the appropriate steps to do this can protect a person from future complications and issues with his or her ex-spouse. One of the first things to do is to change all passwords to profiles and accounts that a person intends to keep after a divorce.

Woman seeks child support decades later

On behalf of Powell Piper Radomsky, PLLC posted in child support on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

Anyone who has raised on child on his or her own likely knows of the struggles that single parents face. In addition to the emotional strain that one faces, single parents often struggle financially, making the court-ordered child support payments they receive a necessity of life. Unfortunately, some parents in Virginia and across the country face a circumstance in which the other parent does not make these payments.

Recently, a woman in another state decided to take action against her ex-husband. She says that the man left her to raise her 3-year-old daughter on her own 50 years earlier. She reports that he was ordered to pay her approximately$160 a month in support payments, but he did not do so, and, instead, left the country.

Spousal support sparks additional litigation in contentious case

On behalf of Powell Piper Radomsky, PLLC posted in spousal support on Thursday, March 14, 2019.

While the divorce process is typically portrayed as being filled with bitterness and anger, many couples in Virginia have found that it is possible to resolve issues with their spouse without this anger. However, in some situations, couples are unable to work together to come to agreement on spousal support and other issues. In fact, one couple in another state is now revisiting their original agreement after certain incidents led the woman to believe that her husband's financial situation had changed.

The couple filed for divorce in 2008. The man reportedly worked as a retirement planner, while his wife stayed home and cared for children. Five years later, their divorce was settled. As part of the proceedings, a judge found that the wife had sacrificed a career to care for children and her need for monthly spousal support was just under $3,000. However, the judge determined that the ex-husband was only able to pay $1,500 a month; he was also ordered to pay the woman $87,000 for payments missed during divorce proceedings.

Why people use a prenuptial agreement for a 2nd marriage

On behalf of Powell Piper Radomsky, PLLC posted in family law on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

After years of working, people in Virginia often acquire a great deal of assets. They may have a home that they have worked to purchase as well as retirement funds meant to support them in their later years. As a result, couples who are older when they marry -- either for the first time or as a remarriage -- often have additional considerations than those marrying for the first time while they are still young and with few assets. As such, many turn to a prenuptial agreement to protect their assets as well as carefully lay out how funds will be spent during the marriage.

Regardless of their age, the first priority of many parents is to protect their children. As a result, one of the priorities of someone who is remarrying but has children from a previous relationship is to ensure that both their new spouse and their children are cared for. A prenuptial agreement can help; it can specify that an estate plan will be created that will leave assets to both children and the surviving spouse as well as creating a trust that will be provide for the latter until his or her death but will then revert to the other spouse's children.

After divorce, kids fare better when they visit both parents

On behalf of Powell Piper Radomsky, PLLC on Friday, February 15, 2019.

According to the American Psychology Association, children can adjust better to divorce when they are able to continue spending significant time with both parents. Children in joint physical custody arrangements typically have fewer behavioral problems, fewer emotional problems, higher self-esteem, and better school performance than children in sole-custody arrangements.

This finding seems to indicate joint physical custody is the preferable custody option for kids after divorce. However, the American Psychological Association claims the custody arrangement is not necessarily the cause of these results. Instead, the ongoing relationship with both parents is to blame.

Creative and tailored legal strategies for family law challenges

On behalf of Powell Piper Radomsky, PLLC posted in family law on Friday, February 15, 2019.

Common sense and creative problem solving.

In a nutshell, isn’t that what best serves individuals and families in Northern Virginia and elsewhere that are faced with family law challenges and seeking optimal solutions?

Family Focused. Results driven.