Family Law

Family Law means exactly what it says. It encompasses all the issues that our Hampton Roads families face

Practicing Professionals

Barry Randolph Koch Steven P. Letourneau

Overview

Family Law means exactly what it says. It encompasses all the issues that our Hampton Roads families face; whether it be divorce, litigation over custody, visitation and support of our children, as well intrafamilial issues including adoptions and guardianship issues, spousal support between husband and wives, as well as marital agreements both during one’s marriage and before a marriage referred to as pre-nuptial agreements. Here at Inman & Strickler, PLC, we have been dealing with these issues for many years and stand ready to assist you with whatever those needs may be.

Divorce/separation

Divorce involves the dissolution of a marriage involving the termination of a marital relationship and the economic impacts that ensue. In the end, almost all divorces end up with a resolution referred to as a Stipulation Agreement which sets forth the resolution of the various issues that arise in a divorce between the parties with a written contract that’s incorporated into the Final Decree of Divorce. These issues can be simple or complex. Virginia has adopted a statute §20-107.3 known as Equitable Distribution modified over the years that deals with property issues arising in a divorce. Parties with substantial assets must have experienced counsel that understands how property can be transmuted during a marriage and its impact on a final divorce settlement. This often involves hiring necessary experts for evaluations and determinations in term of various contributions of the parties to the marital assets. We have developed ongoing relationships with experts that can assist with the resolution of complexed divorce issues that may be faced by divorcing parties. Depending on the case, differing financial circumstances necessitate a determination that one spouse pays financial support to the other, called “spousal support”. Also, the parties don’t reach an agreement, a contested hearing is held to determine all issues the parties cannot agree upon.

At the same time, many cases of divorce can be resolved very simply, again with a Stipulation and Agreement that permits an uncontested divorce that can be concluded relatively quickly. This uncontested dissolution of marriage can be done at a very reasonable cost. Divorces are handled by the Circuit Court of the various cities in the Tidewater area. We practice in all of them and each of the Courts have different procedures that your divorce attorney must understand in order to properly navigate the myriad of issues you may face.

Child Custody, Visitation And Support

One of the most emotional but important aspects of divorces, non-divorce situations, and family disputes can involve children that is custody, visitation, and support. While these matters are quite often handled in the context of a divorce suit, often the parties are not married or whenever the divorce suit is over all matters are referred to another Court known as the Juvenile Domestic and Relations District Court of each city. It has jurisdiction involving a myriad of family issues, obviously the first one’s we think of are child custody, visitation and support. Child custody is governed by certain specific Virginia guidelines by statute and support is largely determined again by legal guidelines by statute that set forth the necessary aspects to determine that amount of support that is due between the respective parties.

Your attorney must have experience and knowledge of the procedures in each Juvenile Domestic and Relations Court to properly assist you in resolving such issues. In addition, unfortunately there develop in some case very antagonistic relationships and at times violent behavior occurs between competing parties. The jurisdiction for handling those issues and a resolution often involves what is known as a Protective Order where the Courts set the perimeters of contact between the parties. Our experienced attorneys stand ready to assist you with your needs with any of these issues.

Adoptions/guardianships

Family law also encompasses as noted above, not only divorce, child custody, visitation and support disputes involving all of those issues, but basic family needs: the tragedy of a parent dying will often result in another parent being named a legal guardian for the children for purposes of managing a minor’s estate. This is handled in the Circuit Court where the parties reside. Likewise, on happier notes parties decide to adopt a child or the child of another partner from a previous marriage. Most adoptions are handled through the Circuit Court that often require initial intervention through the Juvenile Domestic and Relations Court. Our attorneys are experienced in handling all manner of adoptions and guardianships as noted above.

Please contact our firm immediately to meet with a skilled and experienced lawyer today. Our attorneys are always willing to help with your legal issue, no matter how big or how small.

Call us at: 757-486-7055 or email us at info@inmanstrickler.com

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