No person, regardless of occupation, remains immune from the emotional impact of divorce. The legal process for service members, however, involves a special set of legal standards. Issues from residency and child custody to the scope of marital property and child...
No finish line: The future of family law mediation
A series of recent federal lawsuits – one brought individually by a disabled 18-year veteran of the United States Navy, the other by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) – are seeking fair treatment for legally married same-sex military couples. Though the cases are in different court venues, they both seek the same outcome: granting same-sex spouses of military servicemen…
In June of 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States released decisions in two controversial cases, one putting into question the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and one challenging a California law better known as “Proposition 8” (or “Prop 8”) that prohibited same-sex marriage in the state. The Court overturned Prop 8 and declared that…
Estate planning can help you deal with the complexities of a military, civilian and Social Security benefits and take a burden from your loved ones Estate planning is an activity most people prefer to avoid. They don’t want to think about why they are doing. However, if you look at it from the perspective of the positive benefits of having…
Same-sex couples may face challenges when it comes to estate planning. With the landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex couples across the country were granted the right to marry (the case struck down previous state-level bans on gay marriage). Though the case was decided by the Court on the basis of the Equal Protection…
Virginia residents who are looking to get married after a prior divorce should learn how a prenup may be essential for them Virginia residents who are contemplating a new marriage after having been married before know all too well that an expected future may not come to fruition. That, however, does not mean they have to give up on love…
Thinking about, let alone preparing for, divorce before you are even married is not what most of us want to do. Whether we believe that divorce will never happen to us or whether we just choose to ignore the possibility, the fact remains that almost half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. One way to enter…
Discussing these three issues can help begin the estate planning process. Putting together an estate plan is an important step towards ensuring financial security. Not only do the documents used in the plan help determine the distribution of assets, but they can also help reduce tax obligations. Although there are a number of benefits to these plans, many Americans do…
This article looks at advance directives, especially as they concern medical care for military veterans. Talking about end-of-life care can be difficult, yet most people would like to decide for themselves the kind of care and treatment they receive. Advance directives, such as living wills and health care powers of attorney, allow individuals to make their own health care decisions…
