It's a very serious step to take, but Virginia's Department of Social Services has a statewide Child Abuse Hotline. 1-800-552-7096.

Lack of money is not supposed to count against a mother in a custody case, but instability that affects the children does count. Try to figure out...

My wife wants a divorce. She doesnt want lawyers involved but refuses all compromise in mediation. How can I get free?

I don't see the need to for you to file a case asking for yourself to be ordered to pay support. This is an area where we often end up saying, "No...

You need to go ahead with service by publication, but if child custody is involved in the case, you ALSO have to send the complaint and hearing...

I want my sister to be my children's guardian and my brother to be trustee. They live in Israel. How can I do this?

On guardianship, you can't literally "make sure this happens", but assuming that you and your husband both agree, you can be reasonably sure, if...

In the state of Va can I pay off all my child support in one lump payment . Instead of paying every month for the next four year

There has been at least one case from the Va. Court of Appeals where a father paid the support ahead of time, and then was found to be in arrears...

If the other side had a court reporter there, you can have the court reporter prepare a transcript even if the other side has not ordered one. But...

Can this case really stand?

Anyone is eligible to appeal, and if the order was from a district court, rather than a Circuit Court, there are 10 days to file an appeal in...

My ex-husband (we have a child together) appears to be terminally ill. Can I obtain his medical records?

Unfortunately, I think the only legal way to do it is to file a court case related to custody -- for example, a petition for temporary modification...

Why is the judge making me pay for the guardian ad litem an not splitting the cost between the mother and I?

Sometimes these allocations of the GAL's fees are based more on the parties' ability to pay than on anything else.