Divorce Law Firm in Arlington
Divorce is more than an emotional transition; it’s also a complex legal process that involves your finances, your property, your children, and other important aspects of your life. Whether you are considering a divorce or have been served with divorce papers, an experienced attorney from a reputable divorce law firm in Arlington can help.
Common Legal Matters in an Arlington Divorce
Although every divorce case is unique based on the individuals involved and their own circumstances, some common issues often revolve around the following:
- Child Custody Arrangements – If your divorce involves children (or you are not married to your child’s other parent), your child custody arrangements are likely a primary concern. Generally, both parents will share legal custody, which means they share the important responsibility and right to make specific decisions on behalf of their children (related to education, religion, and health care). Further, divorced parents also typically share residential custody. If it is not feasible for the parties to equally share residential custody, it may be necessary for one parent to be the primary custodial parent with whom the children live most of the time while the other parent has a visitation schedule.
- Division of Marital Property – The assets that you and your spouse acquired together as a married couple are considered your marital property. This property will be divided upon divorce in a manner that is considered equitable or fair, which does not necessarily mean equal. This division is likely to significantly affect your financial future and, as such, requires careful attention from a knowledgeable divorce law firm in Arlington.
- Child Support – Child support is based on Virginia’s calculation guidelines, which take into account the income of both parties and the time each party spends with the children. The aim of child support is to ensure that both parents uphold their financial responsibility to support their children through high school.
- Spousal Support – Spousal support is more commonly known as alimony or maintenance, and while it is by no means a given, the courts do turn to it when there is a significant financial discrepancy between divorcing spouses. If one spouse doesn’t have the means to financially support themselves post-divorce and the other spouse has the ability to help, alimony may be in order.
Your Virginia Divorce Case
If you and your spouse can find common ground on all of the elements of divorce that pertain to your case, you can likely finalize your divorce with the least amount of legal intervention through an uncontested divorce. The levels of intervention can be categorized as follows (in order of progression):
- You and your respective attorneys can hammer out the details between yourselves.
- Your respective attorneys can negotiate on behalf of each of you for terms you can both sign off on.
- You and your respective attorneys can enter into mediation in which a neutral third party helps you explore your options.
- You can take any issues that remain unresolved before the court and allow the judge to make these important decisions for you.
