Strong Representation from Seasoned Divorce Attorneys in Chesapeake

Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage and involves the division of property and assets, settling financial matters and creating a child custody and visitation arrangement, if children are involved. When you have the seasoned legal team at Shannon & Associates, P.C. on your side, our highly qualified divorce attorneys lessen the stress of divorce and protect your best interests and your future.

Call (757) 228-5529 or contact us online to schedule an appointment with a knowledgable divorce attorney in Virginia. 

Before you decide to get a divorce, it’s helpful to learn the two different types of divorce recognized in Virginia and the grounds for petitioning for either. Even if both spouses agree to a divorce, Virginia requires that grounds exist for dissolving a marriage. Our Chesapeake family lawyers ensure you understand your options.
Divorce from bed and board is the legal separation between a husband and wife, and neither can remarry before obtaining a divorce from the bond of matrimony. Grounds for legal separation include:

• Willful desertion or abandonment by a spouse
• Cruelty and reasonable apprehension of bodily harm

Divorce from the bond of matrimony is the full dissolution of a marriage. Spouses who have been legally separated for one year or more through a divorce from a bed and board decree can petition the court to merge it into a complete divorce. Grounds for an absolute divorce include:

• Adultery and sodomy are involved (with conclusive proof).
• One of the spouses is convicted of a felony and sentenced to more than one year of confinement.
• When spouses show they intended to, and have actually lived, separate lives without cohabitation for at least one year, a no-fault divorce is possible.

Parental rights are not terminated with a divorce decree. Therefore, if you have any children — especially minor children who live in the home — you will want to consider them in deciding how to address and approach your divorce. Child support is an important aspect of the divorce process that ensures the financial well-being of your children after your divorce.

The court will award joint legal custody or sole legal custody based on your child’s best interests. Although, historically, courts tend to favor the mother, the legal standard in setting custody and visitation arrangements is what situation actually serves the child’s best interests. So fathers do not need to worry that they won’t have custody of or the ability to visit their children. In addition, Virginia law specifically recognizes grandparents as persons with a legitimate interest in the custody and visitation of children. By having the divorcing parties come together without having to go to court, mediation has become a popular medium for enforcing parental and grandparental custody and visitation.

With the dissolution of your marriage, you and your spouse will also separate your finances. Virginia follows an equitable division of marital property and debts, meaning that the court evaluates a long list of factors in determining which spouse will keep certain marital property or be responsible for certain marital debt. In making its determination, the court will first classify all of the property involved as marital property, separate property or part-marital and part-separate property.

At Shannon & Associates, P.C., our family law attorneys offer valuable legal representation and advice in all matters related to your divorce. Our office is conveniently located in Chesapeake and accessible to Norfolk, Virginia Beach and the surrounding areas. We offer compassionate advice, while aggressively protecting your assets and parental rights. Call (757) 228-5529 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.