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Includes: Collaborative Law, Domestic Violence & Neglect, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements

Robert H. Klima

Family Law, Adoption, Divorce & Family Law, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           

Allison Crouch Coppage

Family Law, Real Estate, Personal Injury, Wills & Probate
Status:  In Good Standing           

Daniel A. Harvill

Landlord-Tenant, Foreclosure, Family Law, DUI-DWI
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Peter Owen Francescon

Family Law, Divorce, Criminal, Corporate
Status:  In Good Standing           

Amy Nicole Tobias

Traffic, Family Law, Felony, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           

Angela Morehouse

Estate Administration, Family Law, Juvenile Law, Elder Law, Bankruptcy
Status:  In Good Standing           

Megan Elizabeth Edlund

Family Law, Criminal, Insurance, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           

Laura Ann Schnepper

Military Justice, Government, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  31 Years

Katherine Cordova Mccollam

Family Law, Juvenile Law, Criminal
Status:  In Good Standing           

Arthur Von Keller

Other, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law, Juvenile Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  54 Years

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LEGAL TERMS

RESPONDENT

A term used instead of defendant or appellee in some states -- especially for divorce and other family law cases -- to identify the party who is sued and must r... (more...)
A term used instead of defendant or appellee in some states -- especially for divorce and other family law cases -- to identify the party who is sued and must respond to the petitioner's complaint.

FAULT DIVORCE

A tradition that required one spouse to prove that the other spouse was legally at fault, to obtain a divorce. The 'innocent' spouse was then granted the divorc... (more...)
A tradition that required one spouse to prove that the other spouse was legally at fault, to obtain a divorce. The 'innocent' spouse was then granted the divorce from the 'guilty' spouse. Today, 35 states still allow a spouse to allege fault in obtaining a divorce. The traditional fault grounds for divorce are adultery, cruelty, desertion, confinement in prison, physical incapacity and incurable insanity. These grounds are also generally referred to as marital misconduct.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

An order from a judge that directs a party to come to court and convince the judge why she shouldn't grant an action proposed by the other side or by the judge ... (more...)
An order from a judge that directs a party to come to court and convince the judge why she shouldn't grant an action proposed by the other side or by the judge on her own (sua sponte). For example, in a divorce, at the request of one parent a judge might issue an order directing the other parent to appear in court on a particular date and time to show cause why the first parent should not be given sole physical custody of the children. Although it would seem that the person receiving an order to show cause is at a procedural disadvantage--she, after all, is the one who is told to come up with a convincing reason why the judge shouldn't order something--both sides normally have an equal chance to convince the judge to rule in their favor.

IN CAMERA

Latin for 'in chambers.' A legal proceeding is 'in camera' when a hearing is held before the judge in her private chambers or when the public is excluded from t... (more...)
Latin for 'in chambers.' A legal proceeding is 'in camera' when a hearing is held before the judge in her private chambers or when the public is excluded from the courtroom. Proceedings are often held in camera to protect victims and witnesses from public exposure, especially if the victim or witness is a child. There is still, however, a record made of the proceeding, typically by a court stenographer. The judge may decide to seal this record if the material is extremely sensitive or likely to prejudice one side or the other.

CUSTODIAL INTERFERENCE

The taking of a child from his or her parent with the intent to interfere with that parent's physical custody of the child. This is a crime in most states, even... (more...)
The taking of a child from his or her parent with the intent to interfere with that parent's physical custody of the child. This is a crime in most states, even if the taker also has custody rights.

AGE OF MAJORITY

Adulthood in the eyes of the law. After reaching the age of majority, a person is permitted to vote, make a valid will, enter into binding contracts, enlist in ... (more...)
Adulthood in the eyes of the law. After reaching the age of majority, a person is permitted to vote, make a valid will, enter into binding contracts, enlist in the armed forces and purchase alcohol. Also, parents may stop making child support payments when a child reaches the age of majority. In most states the age of majority is 18, but this varies depending on the activity. For example, in some states people are allowed to vote when they reach the age of eighteen, but can't purchase alcohol until they're 21.

SOLE CUSTODY

An arrangement whereby only one parent has physical and legal custody of a child and the other parent has visitation rights.

DESERTION

The voluntary abandonment of one spouse by the other, without the abandoned spouse's consent. Commonly, desertion occurs when a spouse leaves the marital home f... (more...)
The voluntary abandonment of one spouse by the other, without the abandoned spouse's consent. Commonly, desertion occurs when a spouse leaves the marital home for a specified length of time. Desertion is a grounds for divorce in states with fault divorce.

NO-FAULT DIVORCE

Any divorce in which the spouse who wants to split up does not have to accuse the other of wrongdoing, but can simply state that the couple no longer gets along... (more...)
Any divorce in which the spouse who wants to split up does not have to accuse the other of wrongdoing, but can simply state that the couple no longer gets along. Until no-fault divorce arrived in the 1970s, the only way a person could get a divorce was to prove that the other spouse was at fault for the marriage not working. No-fault divorces are usually granted for reasons such as incompatibility, irreconcilable differences, or irretrievable or irremediable breakdown of the marriage. Also, some states allow incurable insanity as a basis for a no-fault divorce. Compare fault divorce.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Miller-Jenkins v. Miller-Jenkins

... Miller-Jenkins (Lisa) and Janet Miller-Jenkins (Janet) entered into a civil union (the civil union) in Vermont that was permitted under Vermont law. ... In November 2003, Lisa filed a petition in a Vermont family court (the Vermont court), seeking to dissolve the civil union and to gain ...

Sasson v. Shenhar

... See Judicial Council of Virginia, Report to the General Assembly and the Supreme Court of Virginia: Adjudication of Family Law Matters 16 (1985) (de novo appeal process for review of decisions of the J & DR court had existed for "more than a third of a century" as of 1985). ...

Robinson v. Robinson

... spouse. Ray v. Ray, 4 Va.App. 509, 513-15, 358 SE2d 754, 756-57 (1987); see generally Peter N. Swisher, Lawrence D. Diehl, and James R. Cottrell, Family Law: Theory, Practice, and Forms § 9:9, at 313-15 (2008). Here, most ...