Family Law

We would like to work with clients who want compassionate and skilled representation in divorces, custody cases, adoptions, support issues and other family law matters. We practice in Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William County, Manassas, and Loudoun counties.

• Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Name Changes
• Restraining Orders
• Enforcement Actions

• Domestic Violence

• Adoptions
• Child Support
• Children's Rights
• Custody
• Foster Care
• Paternity
• Visitation

• Civil Unions
• Common Law Marriage
• Domestic Partnerships
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender Rights
• Living Together/Cohabitation
• Marriage
• Power of Attorney
• Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

• Competency Hearings
• Guardianships & Conservatorships
• Long-Term Care
• Powers of Attorney
• Medicaid & Medicare Planning
• Advanced Health Care Directive
• Healthcare Power of Attorney
• Healthcare Proxy
• Tax Planning

• Grandparent Rights
• Termination of Parental Rights

Divorce

We would like to work with clients who want compassionate and skilled representation in divorces, custody cases, adoptions, support issues and other family law matters. We practice in Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William County, Manassas, and Loudoun counties.

• Alimony/Palimony/Spousal Support
• Annulment
• Child Support
• Custody/Visitation Rights
• Delinquent Support Payments
• Division of Property
• Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR)
• Restraining Orders
• Uncontested Divorce
• Collaborative Law

DC, Feb 2003
Bar Number: 481071

VA, Apr 2001
Bar Number: 46392

All Virginia courts and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Virginia State Bar, D.C. Bar, Virginia Women Attorneys Association, Fairfax Bar Association.

I attend legal seminars on the topics most useful to my clients in family law. I review court opinions as they are released to continuously educate myself about the latest decisions as they affect my client's cases. I also read about family law topics and approaches in other jurisdictions to look for unique and alternative solutions to my client's legal problems.

I won a substantial spousal support award for a military spouse because I was familiar with issues affecting the service member's pay. I was able to demonstrate to the court how issues like combat duty pay or overseas allowances are treated and taxed, resulting in an award of monthly spousal support that was even higher than what my client would have settled for. On another occasion, I was able to protect a retired military member's disability benefits from division and prevent him from having to make reimbursements to the spouse for reductions in his retirement benefits.

I represented a father who believed that it was in the best interests of his children to change custody from one parent to the other, including relocating to another state. I represented a mother in a similar situation when the week on/week off visitation didn't work once her child started kindergarten. In both cases, we were able to achieve our goal of changing custody and relocating to another state.

In one recent case, we petitioned the court to allow a step-parent adoption of a child whose father refused to consent even though he hadn't seen her for approximately ten years. We have also helped people adopt after a surrogate pregnancy.

3

Virginia and the District of Columbia. Other firm members are also licensed in Massachusetts, Florida and Georgia.

After several years of practicing law in northern Virginia, we opened our own firm in June 2007. We serve clients in Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, Manassas, and Prince William and Loudoun counties, and we deal with service members, state department employees, and others who are stationed all around the world.

We focus on providing the highest quality service to clients in northern Virginia dealing with issues ranging from divorce, custody, and support to adoption, protective orders, and wills and estate planning. We approach each case with a fresh perspective, strategizing with our clients to achieve maximum effective results. Clients who want to negotiate settlements or attend mediation receive advice and full support at all stages of the process, and clients who must appear in court benefit from our commitment to preparing and arguing each case as if it were our only case.

All the attorneys in the firm have a background in law.

Our firm participates in pro bono legal aid clinics organized by the Fairfax Bar Association. I am a member of the continuing legal education committee of the Fairfax Bar Association. Two of my cases were listed in the Virginia Lawyer's Weekly list of the year's most important cases.

(703) 273-2672

Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

No

We offer flat rates for certain uncontested matters. For example, we charge a $1,000 flat fee for a totally uncontested divorce, which includes most costs. Other cases may be eligible for flat fees -- the first consultation gives us the chance to explore the complexity of the case with the client and reach a decision about the cost of the case. For documents such as a durable power of attorney or a living will/advanced medical directive, we charge a flat rate of $75, or a flat rate of $100 for both documents.

$240 to $290 depending on the lawyer (I charge $290 per hour).

Yes; the first half-hour consultation with a new client is free.

Retainers vary according to the complexity of the case, but are usually around $5,000 for contested family law matters. An adoption retainer is usually closer to $2,000, and enforcement actions (for failure to pay support, for example), are $1,500.