In the state of Virginia, a Separation Agreement is a legally binding contract that both parties have to sign. It is often called a Property Settlement Agreement. During divorces, these agreements resolve issues of past debt, ownership of property, and child custody. A Separation Agreement also provides a platform for declaring grounds for divorce. Separation agreements are enforced forever, unless the spouses reconcile, or change stipulations mutually. Child custody can be altered within such a contract by both parties mutually or the court. A no-fault divorce can be granted if the two parties...

There are serious implications that have to be considered at every stage of a divorce. Where will you live, who gets what property and custody of children. Tied to all of these decisions are the tax implications. These tax implications are often overlooked. In Virginia, it is especially important to consider the tax implications before and after the divorce. Filing Status Filing status is determined on December 31. If you choose to file a joint return, it is important to remember that you are both responsible for any errors. This responsibility is individual as well as collective. If you file separately,...

Generally information pertaining to any laws, state or federal, is difficult to communicate in just a few words or sentences however, it is possible to summarize them. The following is just that, a summarization of the laws concerning spousal support in Virginia. Spousal support is when a judge orders one of the persons in a divorce proceeding to pay their spouse a certain amount of money each month in order to assist them financially throughout the divorce process and possibly even for a short time after the divorce is final. Although spousal support originated when women could not work and were...

No one enters marriage thinking about divorce. Happy ever after should be the rule but it isn’t always the case. Sometimes bad things happen and divorce becomes inevitable. Every state has their own divorce laws and regulations for proceeding with a legal separation and dissolution of marriage. Virginia divorce laws are basically divided into two types: “fault,” and “no fault.” Knowing where your individual circumstances fall in those categories will help you know the route you have to take and how long it will be before your divorce is final. Fault Divorce A fault...