Are you looking for a family lawyer or divorce lawyer?
When serving as an attorney, I represent only one party to the conflict. That does not mean the other party is an “adversary” — someone to be defeated. It only means that, in legal matters, the same lawyer cannot represent or work for both parties in a disagreement over a decision to be made or whose interests might differ. In contrast, a mediator, even if, like me, he is a licensed attorney, does not "represent" either party as their lawyer. Although I be only one party's lawyer, most of my clients realize that, if they do not want to incur the monetary and emotional costs of contested litigation, any solution will have to be one that satisfies the interests of the other party.
Here are some of the ways that, serving as your dedicated attorney, I might be able to help you through your divorce or to resolve a relationship issue:
- Represent you from start to finish in the Collaborative Divorce process.
- Counsel and advise you about, and help you negotiate, draft, and finalize:
- Premarital (prenuptial) agreements
- New agreements during your marriage to help improve and preserve it
- Separation agreements
- Property settlement agreements
- Spousal support (alimony) agreements – both interim and longer term
- Parenting agreements and parenting plans
- Child-support agreements
- Changes to any of the above when the original agreement is not working optimally
- Domestic relations orders, including QDROs (Qualified Domestic Relations Orders) needed for the allocation between divorcing spouses of retirement accounts, benefits, and pensions, such as civilian public employee pensions, e.g.
- Private company 401(k) plans and traditional defined-benefit pensions.
- Public-school or nonprofit organization 403(b) plans
State and local government 457(b) plans - Federal Retirement Benefits (FERS) retirement benefits, including basic federal retirement benefits and Thrift Savings Plans (TSP)
- Agreements needed for the allocation between divorcing spouses of Military Retired Pay, including Survivor Benefit Plans (SBPs)
- Review, and counsel you regarding, any of the above agreements or orders prepared by others – for example by your spouse’s attorney or by a mediator other than me
- Finalize your divorce in court after you and your spouse have resolved with your spouse by agreement on all matters of money and your children
If you live in or near Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria, or DC, and are looking for a divorce attorney near you, please get in touch. We can speak on the phone and then, if it makes sense to meet, we can do so at offices located in any of these places.
Click here for more information about dividing retirement assets and benefits in divorce.
As your legal counselor and representative, I aim to help you make the well-informed decisions about both the process and the substance of addressing your legal matter, and then help implement those decisions.
The most important “process” question is what process, or path, do you want to try to follow, among the various paths you might choose to resolve the conflict or situation you are in. For example, will you choose mediation, Collaborative Divorce, direct negotiation with the other party (with me helping in the background), lawyer-to-lawyer negotiation, arbitration, or something else? If I believe litigation in court is in your best interest, I will tell you that and help you find an excellent litigating attorney to assist you.
The “substance” of what I can help with means nearly any issue that can arise in the conflict or situation you are in. I help you understand the law, advise you about your options, help you identify and refine your goals, help you decide what steps to take, and help you take them. I want to help you make wise, well-informed, realistic decisions.
The substance issues in separation and divorce are mainly division of property, spousal support (alimony), custody and parenting (legal custody and physical custody), and child support. How any of these substance issues are approached with a particular client depends enormously on the particular facts of the situation and the specific goals of the client.
Again, if you live in or near Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria, or DC, and are looking for a family attorney or divorce attorney near you, please get in touch. We can speak on the phone and then, if it makes sense to meet, we can do so at offices located in any of these jurisdictions.