Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes 30 seconds A Marital Settlement Agreement and MSA is a contract between a married couple that sets out the terms of how they will move forward in their lives, both during their separation and after divorce. A signed PSA will be the biggest part of your divorce.
Estimated Reading Time: 13 Minutes How Do Virginia Courts & Mediators View Equitable Distribution When a Husband and Wife Commingle Separate (Non-Marital) and Marital Property? In Virginia divorce law, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to the division and distribution of property[1] when the divorcing couple does not agree on whether that property is “marital property”, “separate property” or a combination thereof (known as “hybrid property”). This confusion is unfortunate because how property is classified is extremely important in terms of what is on and what is off limits to Virginia judges when they make their “taketh and giveth” decisions.
Estimated Reading Time: 2 min 50 sec Divorce is a shock to the system even if getting divorced was your idea. When it finally becomes a reality that your marriage is ending, it is common to feel even more unbalanced than your spouse in coping with divorce emotions.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes 25 seconds Writing good Divorce Settlement Agreements—particularly when children are involved—blends two divergent, yet complementary, styles: (1) great specificity, and (2) an openness that allows for the inevitable changes that families go through as their kids grow up.
3 min 45 sec read People get divorced for so many reasons -- feeling alone in the marriage, infidelity, loss of intimacy and companionship, financial stress, or simply feeling like you're wrong for each another. Whatever the reasons, there is no underestimating how difficult the divorce process is and how gruesome the divorce pain and stress can be.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes 20 seconds It Happens Fast When you are negotiating the custody & visitation portion of your Divorce Settlement Agreement, you will need to keep teenagers in mind, even if your children are still very young. As any parent of a teenager will tell you, your kids will become young adults before you know it.
Estimated Reading Time: 9 Minutes THE DEFINITION of EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION – NOT 50%/50% Equitable Distribution is the legal term for how judges, in Virginia (and 39 other states), divide and distribute property and debt in a divorce. “Equitable” means “fair”, not “equal”. . . so you know you are in some tricky territory right there.
2 min 50 sec read If you model good communication with your spouse during a divorce, it can be a helpful lesson to your children. It will help them learn how to handle life's conflicts in the long run. Children in divorce do much better and are more secure when they feel their parents are managing "grown-up" life issues in a "grown-up" way.
2 min 50 sec read As the 37 million people who were hacked on Ashley Madison in 2015 can attest, extra marital affairs are rampant. A study published in 2011 confirmed that one in five of the 1,000 people surveyed had cheated on their spouses. What is going on? From what I have seen and heard in my divorce mediation practice, marriages end when couples forget to nurture one another.
5 min 10 sec read Graine Mediation is pleased to introduce Terri R. Adams, MSW, LCSW, BCD, as our guest blogger this week. Ms. Adams is in private practice in Fairfax, Virginia with the Fairfax Counseling Group. http://fairfaxcounselinggroup.com Ms. Adams has helped many parents of young adults to successfully achieve a stronger relationship with their young adult children and recapture their own future.
