Family Lawyer Manassas VA

Family law covers a broad range of topics that include divorce, custody, child support, spousal support, and more. As a family lawyer Manassas VA, I can defend your family case and protect your legal rights.

read below type of family cases we represent

What is The Type of Divorce in Manassas Virginia? 

Virginia has two broad categories of divorce. 

These are contested divorces and uncontested divorces. 

Contested divorces must be based on certain grounds such as adultery, “cruelty”, or desertion.  

In Virginia, adultery can be sexual intercourse or other serious sexual acts. 

These can be circumstantial and context-based in some cases. 

If you have questions about what can be considered adultery, call the attorneys at American Lawyers Group.

“Cruelty” has a very specific legal meaning in the context of divorce. 

We may say someone is cruel when they are mean or rude, but cruelty for a divorce requires much more than that. 

Cruelty, for divorce purposes, is when one spouse is abusive and endangers the life or health of the other spouse. 

Normally, cruelty and some criminal action will go hand in hand.

Desertion occurs when one party of the marriage leaves without any legal reason or without the consent of the other spouse. 

The leaving party must intend to end the marriage when they leave. 

This occurs when you come home and your spouse has just vanished. 

They stop contributing to bills and mortgages and are simply gone.

An uncontested divorce is more straightforward. 

If the two parties to the marriage live separately for a year and intend to end the marriage, they can get a no-fault divorce.

Type of Child Custody in Prince William County Manassas Virginia

Three of the most common kinds of custody seen in Virginia are sole custody, joint physical custody, and joint legal custody.

Sole custody is exactly what you think it is. 

A sole parent has complete custody of the child and can make legal decisions for the child.  Essentially, they are the only parent for the child. 

The other parent can get visitation rights to spend time with the child, but they cannot make legal decisions for the child with visitation rights alone.

Second, there is joint physical custody. 

This kind of custody is when the children of a marriage spend time with each parent on a schedule made by either the court or the parents if they are able to agree on one. 

In cases of joint physical custody, both parents have decision-making power for the children; they can both basically parent.

Lastly, joint legal custody is like joint physical custody, but the children spend most of their time with one parent and not the other. 

This could be because of scheduling conflicts or any other reason. 

Both parents still have the same decision-making power, but the children happen to live with one of them more often.

How is Spousal Support Handled in Manassas Virginia?

Spousal support is also known as alimony. 

Essentially spousal support is the payments made by a more financially independent party to the other after divorce proceedings.  Spousal support is not a guarantee. 

Things like adultery can disqualify you from receiving spousal support. 

If you do qualify for it, spousal support amounts are determined by factors such as standards of living during the marriage, how long the marriage lasted, lost job prospects as a result of the marriage, and more.  

Spousal support will last for varying amounts of time. 

It depends on the facts of the case and the circumstances of the divorce.  The general rule of thumb will be half the length of the marriage. 

So, a 10-year marriage will generally lead to 5 years of spousal support.

Spousal support can be modified under certain circumstances depending on how the support was created. 

If you have questions about spousal support, contact the family lawyers at American Lawyers Group.

Manassas Child Support

Child support refers to the payments one parent makes to another to help pay for the raising of a child the parents share from a marriage.  §20-108.2 is Virginia’s law on how courts determine child support. 

Essentially many factors such as gross income, certain expenses, and time spent with each parent are put into a sophisticated formula Virginia uses and a number is generated that each parent must pay. 

Child support cases are complicated by changing circumstances, so if you have questions about child support in Manassas, Virginia, call the attorneys at American Lawyers Group.

Why You Need a Family Lawyer Manassas VA?

Family law is always going to be very personal. 

The cases can affect how you see and raise your child as well as your finances. 

If you are involved in a family law case a Family lawyer in Manassas VA now.