Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia law changed how post-separation relationships are treated in divorce cases. A spouse who begins a new romantic relationship after permanently separating is no longer considered to have committed adultery solely because the divorce has not yet been finalized. Learn what changed, what didn't, and why you should still speak with an attorney before dating during a separation.

Virginia’s new law, effective July 1, 2026, allows eligible spouses to begin the divorce process immediately upon separation through a divorce from bed and board. Learn what changed, what stayed the same, and how the new rules may affect your family in Richmond and throughout Virginia.

Parental alienation refers to the situation where one parent attempts to manipulate a child against the other parent.

Child support is almost always a contentious issue between separated parents. Fortunately, the Virginia General Assembly created...

For issues of custody and visitation, the ultimate question in Virginia is always: What is in the child’s best interests? In virtually ev...

Annulments are powerful. They render a marriage a nullity as if it never existed. Section 20-89.1 of the Virginia Code allows for annulme...

In Virginia, simply filing a complaint for divorce does not guarantee that a court will enter a final decree of divorce ending the...

Most divorces we handle at Dominion Law are filed on the basis that the parties have lived separately for either six months or a year...