In this article, I will guide you on how to smoothly move from the decision to separate, through settlement, and ending with a judge signing your Divorce Decree. This article will go through each step, making it easy for you to handle this part of your life confidently and ensure that you get everything right.

Here are the step-by-step instructions you need to know to modify your child support post-divorce in Virginia.

Estimated Reading Time: 8 min read

Virginia Code

Virginia statutory law speaks generally of the criteria that a judge must consider when deciding an alimony case. However, the listed criteria give almost no guidance to the courts when making a determination as to “how much” spousal support is to be paid and “for how long” spousal support should last.

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes 20 seconds In a Virginia Divorce, Judges Only Divide Marital Assets Acquired Before Separation In a Virginia divorce, you must live separate and apart for either 12 months (with kids) or 6 months (without kids) in order to file a no- fault divorce.

Estimated Reading Time: 2 min 30 sec  There is no guarantee of alimony in a Virginia divorce. There are rules of thumb — but no hard and fast laws. Attorneys in Virginia accurately refer to alimony (also called spousal support) as the “Wild West.

Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes 50 seconds In a Virginia divorce, there must always be grounds for divorce. In a "no-fault" divorce, those grounds are based on a period of separation. With minor children, couple seeking divorce must live separate and apart for one year.

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: 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.

Settling a divorce case in Virginia, where one of the parties owns a business, can be extremely challenging. Businesses are considered “property” and, just like a house or a retirement fund, are divisible upon divorce. Therefore, in a mediated divorce settlement, the value of a family business must usually be quantified in order for both parties to make informed decisions with regard to which party retains which asset/liability post-divorce.