Experienced Divorce Lawyer in Virginia

Experienced Divorce Lawyer in Virginia

If you are thinking about getting divorced, it is important to connect with a lawyer as early in your divorce planning process as you can. Why? The decisions that you make now have the potential to dramatically impact your divorce settlement. What you purchase, how you begin dividing your property, where you choose to live, whether you choose to pay down debt before your divorce is finalized… all of these decisions could impact your divorce process. Thus, it is important to speak with an attorney so that you can make truly informed choices before you commit to plans of action or inaction.

Additionally, speaking with an attorney as early as you can during this process will help to clarify how you are going to approach the divorce process as a whole. If you and your spouse can agree on the terms of you divorce settlement out of court, you’ll avoid placing your fate in a judge’s hands. With that said, you’ll need to think carefully about which issues you might be willing to go to court over. Understanding your limits and expectations “from go” will help both you and your Virginia divorce lawyer strategize and prepare for your divorce.

What Kind of Divorce Approach Will Serve Your Needs?

There is no single “right” way to pursue divorce. As an experienced divorce lawyer Virginia residents trust can confirm, individual needs and priorities should generally dictate the direction of a divorce process. For example, if it is critically important to someone that they retain ownership of their marital home, their desire to keep their divorce process amicable could ultimately take a backseat to their determination to fight for their home. Conversely, someone may feel strongly about having their child on a certain holiday but ultimately choose to compromise on that point in order to keep their child custody dispute out of a judge’s hands.

You’ll want to think carefully about exactly what your needs are before committing to a divorce approach. Once you’ve reviewed your needs and priorities with an experienced Virginia divorce lawyer, you may opt to draft divorce settlement terms with your spouse and work with your attorney to finalize them. If you and your spouse need to work through some differences, you may opt for mediation and/or attorney-led negotiation. If you and your spouse cannot work through your fundamental differences, it may make the most sense to work with an attorney to prepare for a court battle.

There is no single “right” way to approach your divorce process. The right approach for you is the one that will best facilitate your needs, goals, and priorities.

Advocating for Your Rights and Interests

Know that if you choose to work with the experienced Virginia legal team at May Law, LLP, we will—aggressively, if need be—work to advocate on behalf of your needs and interests. We understand how stressful the divorce process can be. Regardless of which approach to this process you choose, we’ll be here to provide you with any guidance, legal support, and advocacy services that you may require.

Divorce can be a huge mess of rules, paperwork, legal terminology, and procedures, which is why people turn to our Virginia Divorce Law Firm May Law, LLP for assistance. Anyone who is going through a divorce is bound to become overwhelmed at one point or another, which is why it is so important to have an experienced legal team to help the process along.

Knowing that you have an attorney at our VA Divorce Law Firm looking out for your behalf can provide an immense feeling of relief. While every divorce is unique and the laws can vary based on the state you live in, there are general phases that tend to apply to most divorce cases.

Here we have answered questions pertaining to these steps:

How do I prepare to file for divorce?

Making the decision to file for divorce isn’t always easy. You may have been going back and forth in your mind for quite some time, or finally something happened where you know it’s over for good without any doubts. Before filing for divorce, it may be a good idea to:

• Make copies of important documents (assets, debts, retirement accounts, life insurance, credit card statements, paycheck stubs, etc.)
• Create a file with your social security card, medical information, passport, birth certificate, and other personal documents. 
• Change passwords to your personal accounts (email, computer, social media)
• Take an inventory of household items
• If you share finances, consider opening a credit card just for yourself so you have emergency funds if needed

To officially file for divorce, you must file a petition for divorce at your local county clerk office. In this petition, you will have to provide factual details before a judge will consider the request. An attorney at our Divorce Law Firm in VA can help you complete this documentation if you have any questions. 

What happens after being served with divorce papers?

Only one spouse has to petition for divorce. After the initial paperwork is received and approved, the other spouse will be served a notice of the divorce request. The spouse then has 30 calendar days to respond. While waiting, your divorce lawyer in Fairfax, VA at May Law, LLP may suggest working on your financial disclosures as a way to prepare for the next stage in the divorce process. 

What information do I have to provide during financial disclosures?

Both spouses will have to provide their personal financial information, so they can negotiate over division of property, spousal support, debts, and more. Your attorney is likely to recommend being as forthcoming as you can and to not hide assets. If you aren’t transparent, it may only cause heated disputes and complications later on.

Here are examples of information you will probably have to provide: 

• Paycheck stubs
• Vehicle pink slips
• Bank account statements
• Life insurance policy statements
• Real property deeds
• Federal/state income tax returns
• Retirement accounts
• Credit card statements

Does my divorce settlement have to be established in court?

If each spouse can be civil, then mediation may be an alternative to attending court over disputes. In mediation, the spouses attempt to find resolutions regarding certain terms of the divorce that are currently not agreed upon. The mediator is a neutral party who doesn’t take sides, and instead simply acts as a guide to keep the conversation moving in an effective manner. 

Get to Know May Law, LLP

May Law LLP is a team of lawyers in the Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William communities of Virginia that serve the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. They are experienced attorneys and they can guide you through a one-time criminal charge, a challenging family law matter, an employment dispute, and more.May Law LLPs a team of lawyers in Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William communities of Virginia that serve the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.They are experienced attorneys and they will guide you through a one time criminal charge, a challenging family law matter, an employment dispute And more. May Law is a young partnership, but the practice has been serving the region since 1995. And whether you need to bring a lawsuit against somebody else or you are fighting some sort of charge, they are on your side.

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to solve a puzzle that you do not have all the pieces for. This is especially true in the legal system, no matter what section of the legal system you are dealing with. If you do not have all the pieces, then the puzzle will not get put together. If you are getting divorced and you need a divorce lawyer in Virginia, then you need to have a clear vision of all of the options and possible outcomes of each option In front of you. This ensures that you are aware of every outcome that you may experience as per your decision to pursue a divorce.

Typically, when you meet with the divorce lawyer for the first time then you are going to discuss your strategy, you describe your situation to the lawyer in question and they are going to determine the right legal approach for your needs. It is at this time that if you determine this lawyer does not meet your needs and their strategy does not meet your needs; you talk to them about it and if they decide, they do not want to handle your case because you do not want to go with their strategy; you ask for another lawyer from the firm. Not every lawyer in the firm is going to follow the same logistics and strategies as the lawyer you speak to. Keep looking until you find a lawyer that suits your needs.

After you have settled on a strategy and a lawyer, then you are going to commence a case for divorce or custody establishment. This is where you are filing a petition for divorce, and this is often where you will give a first offer on what you expect out of the divorce. This may be child custody arrangement, this may be visitation with animals, this may be that you want the house, whatever demands you are trying to get out of your divorce aside from just the divorce itself are going to be listed here for your spouse to read through.

If you need support during a divorce proceeding, then don’t hesitate to call May Law, LLP for a free consultation with an attorney at our Divorce Law Firm in Virginia.