Separation Agreements in Fredericksburg: 9 Essential Steps to Stay Secure
If you are living apart from your spouse in Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, or a surrounding Virginia community, you may be trying to make decisions about your home, accounts, debts, support, and children while the marriage remains legally intact. A verbal understanding may feel sufficient while discussions are calm, but informal promises can become difficult to […]
Equitable Distribution in Virginia: 11 Essential Facts to Stay Informed
If you are facing divorce, you may be worried about what happens to your home, bank accounts, investments, retirement benefits, business interests, vehicles, and debts. You may also wonder whether property titled in only one spouse’s name can be divided, whether an inheritance remains separate, or whether the court will simply split everything equally. These […]
Virginia Parenting Plans: 8 Practical Ways to Build a Schedule That Works
If you are creating a Virginia parenting plan, the goal is not to copy a schedule used by another family. The goal is to create a clear, workable arrangement that supports your child’s needs and fits the parents’ real schedules. Virginia courts focus on the child’s best interests, not on a presumption that one parent […]
Military Divorce in Virginia: Retirement, Disability Pay, and Custody Explained
Military divorce in Virginia involves state divorce law, federal retirement rules, military benefits, and parenting concerns that do not arise in every civilian case. The legal analysis can affect military retired pay, disability-related benefits, Survivor Benefit Plan elections, health coverage, child support, and custody during deployment. Virginia may classify and divide the marital share of […]
Filing for Divorce in Fredericksburg, VA: What to Prepare Before Your First Court Date
If you are filing for divorce in Fredericksburg VA, the most important preparation happens before the first court date. Confirm that Virginia has jurisdiction, identify the correct Circuit Court, determine whether the case is contested or uncontested, organize financial and parenting records, and prepare for service of process. Families throughout the Fredericksburg region, from Stafford […]
Child Custody Relocation in Virginia: Notice, Best Interests, and Court Review
A child custody relocation Virginia matter can affect school, transportation, parenting time, and the child’s relationship with both parents. Virginia law generally requires at least 30 days’ advance written notice of an intended relocation or change of address when a custody or visitation order is involved, but notice alone does not approve the move. The […]
Spousal Support in Westmoreland County, VA: 7 Factors Virginia Courts Consider
Westmoreland County Courthouse, Montross, Virginia. Photograph by Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons. License attribution as listed on the Wikimedia Commons file page. Spousal support can shape a person’s financial stability long after a divorce decree is entered. For families in Westmoreland County, Virginia, understanding how support is evaluated can make an emotionally difficult transition more organized […]
Growing a Fredericksburg Family Law Practice: Shawna L. Stevens PLLC Is Looking for an Associate
Shawna L. Stevens PLLC is looking for an associate attorney who wants to build a meaningful career in Virginia family law while working directly with an experienced lead attorney. Shawna L. Stevens will remain the sole lead attorney, personally responsible for the quality of every matter and involved in reviewing everything. The associate will join […]
What Really Happens Inside a Fredericksburg Family Law Office: A Peek Behind the Curtain
A family law office is not usually as dramatic as television makes it seem. Inside Shawna L. Stevens PLLC at 307 Lafayette Boulevard, Suite 200, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the day is more likely to involve careful file review, practical conversations, court preparation, coffee, and the occasional surprise than shouting across a courtroom. QUICK ANSWER BOX […]
Postnuptial Agreements in Virginia: What They Cover and How to Make One Enforceable
A postnuptial agreement in Virginia is a written marital agreement that a married couple signs after the wedding. It lets spouses define property rights, debts, and spousal support on their own terms instead of leaving those questions to Virginia's default divorce rules. Virginia law recognizes these agreements under Va. Code Section 20-155, and a properly […]