Graham Law Firm, PLLC

Choosing an adoption lawyer is a little different than choosing a lawyer for other things. Our expertise and personality sets us apart from other adoption lawyers. Adoption is a specialized area of the law that is quite different from other types of family law, such as divorce and child custody. For this reason, you want to avoid hiring a lawyer whose practice is not specifically focused on adoption.

Yes, we do. We have a Zoom seminar on May 7th at 5 pm. The topic will be adoption.

Whether or not both spouses disagree on one or more key issues in order to conclusively end their marriage will determine whether or not contested divorce or uncontested divorce is the best option for you and your family

Yes, we do. Child support mediation is an ideal way to decide the allocation of child support during a separation and a divorce without involving a court.

Yes. Our premarital agreement lawyers can help you with this.

We are licensed to practice family law in the state of Virginia and the District of Columbia, and have over 23 years of experience in divorce law.

Graham Law Firm is proud to offer legal support for people adopting children in Virginia. We’ll guide you through the process to ensure a positive outcome for everyone. We are dedicated to meeting our clients’ needs and will help you navigate this transition in your life with the utmost expertise.

Graham Law Firm conducts appellate work in the Court of Appeals of Virginia. We also practice litigation at the trial level in the jurisdictions of Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Prince William County, Arlington County, and Northern VA.

No all of our attorneys charge for any consultation.

More middle-class Americans are choosing to get prenuptial agreements before they get married. This option might make sense for you and your future spouse if: There’s a possibility one of you might stop working in the future to care for children, go back to school, or for another reason. One or both of you have children from previous relationships (a prenup helps ensure each biological child receives benefits in the event of their parent’s death). One of you owns a business or you co-own a business together. One of you brings significantly more assets or debt into the marriage than the other.

There are three main factors that impact the cost of getting a divorce. They are: The complexities of your case; The level of conflict between you and your spouse; The divorce method and/or divorce professional you choose

The two primary grounds for divorce in Virginia are no-fault and at-fault. As discussed above, a no-fault divorce is when the couple has irreconcilable differences and simply no longer wants to be together. An at-fault divorce means one spouse has a valid, provable reason he or she wants to end the marriage, such as adultery, abuse, abandonment, or conviction of a felony.

The fastest option is to file a no-fault divorce where both parties agree to the terms of separation and have no significant disagreements about the division of assets, debts, child custody, and more. After living apart for one year, you can file your complaint and expect processing to be completed in as little as six to eight weeks. At-fault divorces—where each spouse has a different idea about who deserves which assets, debts, custody, and more—take more time. The court must work out your case in the fairest way possible, which may take months or longer.

If you decide you want a divorce, you must file a document known as a “complaint” with the Virginia Circuit Court in the city or county where you reside and pay the required filing fee. The complaint requires you to provide the following information: The date and location of your wedding Your and your spouse’s current living situation Your and your spouse’s military status Proof of a minimum of six months’ residency in the state Grounds for filing for divorce (plus satisfaction of the separation period if filing for no-fault divorce) Ages and living arrangements of your children, if applicable Finally, you must arrange to have a sheriff or private process server deliver the complaint and a court summons to your spouse.

Two of the most common divorce options are litigation and mediation. Litigation, the more traditional method of the two, involves filing a lawsuit against your spouse and having a separate lawyer represent each of your cases in front of a judge. This is probably the right option if you need legal advice, your divorce is complicated, or either party has hostility toward the other. Mediation means a third-party attorney sits down with you and your divorcing spouse to help you craft an agreement for ending your marriage. This process is faster, less expensive, and less emotionally draining than litigation, but it’s only an option if your divorce is simple and neither party is hostile.

The law once required at least one spouse to place blame on the other in order to file for a divorce. However, times have changed, and now couples can get a no-fault divorce in all 50 states after living apart uninterrupted for at least 12 months. A no-fault divorce is when the filing spouse requests a divorce without citing specific blame. Synonyms for a no-fault divorce include irreconcilable differences, incompatibility, and uncontested. You are not required to provide proof that your marriage is beyond repair, and no testimony is necessary to explain what went wrong.

In order to enforce a provision of a court order, a Petition for a Rule to Show cause should be filed. This can be prepared by the party themselves, but we are more than happy to assist you with that matter. Once filed, a hearing will normally need to be held on the merits. If we can be of assistance, please contact our office and we can schedule an appointment for you.