With the economy changing so quickly, many readers find themselves in a situation when they need legal or mediation services, but cannot afford them. What can be done? In today’s post, I’ll cover three ways that legal services and mediation services may be provided in Virginia and West Virginia, pro bono, low bono, and on a sliding fee.

While our office does not offer free consultations in family law matters, we work to provide information about divorce, custody, parenting plans, and support in our offices in Leesburg and Charles Town. Sign up for a free session to have questions answered, for free, by lawyer and mediator, Brenda Waugh.

January is a popular month to file for divorce.  Why?  For many people, the new year is a time that they reevaluate their lives and decide to make changes.  Perhaps they have waited or tried to make a marriage work for some time and the new year seems like a good opportunity to go ahead and pursue divorce.  Others may want to wait until after Christmas to plan for their a divorce. Some people postpone divorce into the new year for economic or tax reasons.  Whatever the basis, if you have decided to divorce in 2017, should you file?

In the last few months, I've been working on a series on how to file for divorce without a lawyer in West Virginia.  Next week, I'll continue in that series with a post on the hearing.  However, I'll pause today and remind readers of some of the mistakes you can make when filing for divorce without a lawyer.

Welcome to the next post in this series on filing for divorce without a lawyer in West Virginia. Since I practice in West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia, the instructions for each jurisdiction are described in separate blog posts.

If you have followed these posts, you may have taken the first steps and decided that you can file for divorce. You and your spouse went to mediation and now have a written parenting plan and property settlement agreement. What’s next? How do you get to court?

An important step in filing for divorce without a lawyer, is working to reach the agreement before you file.  An agreement can provide greater security and can expedite the process.  Agreements can be reached between the parties informally, through mediation and through collaborative divorce.

The media can’t seem to stop generating stories about how Bruce Jenner is now Caitlyn Jenner. I watched Diane Sawyer’s interview with Jenner about the physical and emotional process. How about the legal process? Has "Bruce Jenner" legally become "Caitlyn Jenner?" I don’t know. I do know that the process of changing your name is not difficult, but like any legal process, it’s not simple.

Legally changing your name requires filing documents with the court. You must give notice to anyone who may be affected. Some states require a hearing, and the process concludes when the judge signs the order. Like many legal proceedings, a petition for name change can be filed pro se, without an attorney. However, it may be cost effective to hire an attorney. The attorney can identify potential problems and help you through the process. Free forms are available in Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to assist you in changing your name.

This post is part of a three part series addressing how divorcing parents might address higher education costs.  Yesterday, we addressed the question:   “How long is a parent required to pay support?”   Today, we’ll consider whether divorcing parents should agree to share the costs of their children’s college. The laws in the states where I practice do not require parents to pay college costs, but parents can agree in their divorce agreement to share in the costs.   Consider several questions before entering into an agreement to be sure your agreement is in the best interest of your child and your family.

When you are planning for a divorce and money is tight, there are a number of things you can do to save money. Both mediation and collaborative divorce are often a less expensive option. This blog post also provides some free materials that can help you file for divorce when you cannot afford an attorney in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.

"What do we do about Christmas?"  This is a question that comes up in most mediations involving child custody.  In mediation or collaborative law, you can tailor your holiday celebrations with your children consistent with your own family traditions and celebrations.  Whether I’m working in a collaborative law case or in mediation, we work to make all holidays, including Christmas, peaceful, unique and special for the children.  As a lawyer and mediator with offices located in West Virginia and Washington, D.C., we can design the perfect holiday for the children, together.

Many times parents believe that the child should have a chance to articulate their opinion in a divorce or child custody case. Many courts prefer that their opinions be addressed through the appointment of a specially trained lawyer, or a Guardian Ad LItem, who may interview the child outside of the courtroom.  Another option is to include children in mediation.  While this option should be employed sparingly, for some families it might serve to empower the children and bring the family closer.  Only a specially trained mediator, often working with a child specialist, can assess the situation and determine whether or not the child's participation is beneficial.  Our office accepts cases in West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia and can work with families to determine the best mediation structure for you.

If you are wanting to get a divorce in West Virginia, but cannot afford a lawyer or prefer to file your case without a lawyer, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has created an excellent resource on their website that can provide you with all of the documents you need to file for divorce.   The website also has paperwork and forms to file to change child support.

If you have never participated in mediation, you may wonder what’s involved. While every situation is different, there are a few things you can expect regardless of the type of case or mediator.  Our office accepts cases for mediation including elder mediation, family mediation, divorce mediation, child custody mediation, civil mediation and mediation of insurance disputes.  With offices in Washington DC and West Virginia, we are available to answer your questions and help you to evaluate how mediation may help you resolve your case faster and more economically than litigation.

Starting a divorce does not have to mean starting a war. Whether you are in Virginia or West Virginia we provide collaborative law and mediation to help you find a win-win resolution.

When you are considering divorce, be sure to consider both mediation and collaborative law as options. Both of these options are usually healthier for your family and tend to be less costly than litigation. With offices in Leesburg, Virginia, Charles Town, West Virginia and Washington DC, Brenda Waugh can provide you with mediation or legal services and help you to weigh the costs and benefits of the various processes available.