Divorce - Child Custody - Sole Custody and Visitation - Joint Custody

When two people divorce, almost all of their questions and concerns center on one thing: “What will happen to the children?”

When you have kids, your divorce carries higher stakes. You’re not only making decisions on your own behalf, but on your child’s behalf too. It gets more complicated if you’re pursuing a divorce in order to get your kids away from an abusive spouse.

At the law office of Claudia Zucker, we will sit down with you and go over your current situation, explain the legal possibilities, and map out a plan to protect your children’s rights (as well as yours). We will examine the facts and work with independent custody evaluators to get a clear picture of what life was like in your household.

When it comes to child custody in the Virginia Commonwealth, the courts may choose:

Sole Custody

One parent becomes solely and legally responsible for making decisions for the child about education, religious upbringing, discipline, medical care and other significant concerns.

Joint Custody

Both parents share legal custody and decision-making authority for the child. Usually, one parent retains primary physical custody, and the other gets custodial time known as visitation (or time-sharing). Parents could also opt for split physical custody, or they can work out their own joint custody arrangements.

In most cases, it helps to work with your former spouse to resolve child custody on your own. The judge has a limited time to get to know you, your spouse, and your child.  If possible, it’s better to leave the child’s fate in the hands of his or her caring parents.

In the cases in which an amicable resolution just isn’t possible, attorney Zucker will do the work it takes to protect you and your children, building a powerful and compelling case for the judge.

Custody and Visitation: What to Expect

Attorney Zucker will work with you to quickly get a temporary visitation order in place. From there, she will get to know you and your child and work out a legal strategy to get the results you need, efficiently and effectively.

For nearly two decades, attorney Claudia Zucker has helped parents and children in complex child custody matters, including ones with multiple state or multiple country jurisdictions. She also has an experienced niche practice that specifically serves parents across jurisdictional lines, military personnel and immigrants, addressing the unique legalities they bring to a divorce proceeding. She also handles child custody battles for unmarried parents.

Custody Modifications and Other Special Arrangements

If your divorce has been final for a while, certain circumstances and life changes may warrant alterations to your current child custody arrangements. If you need to modify a child custody order, we can help.

Contact Us

If you have questions about your child custody or divorce case, please call our office at (703) 596-1005 to schedule your appointment with an experienced child custody attorney today.