Given the protracted and severe downturn of the economy, specifically the depression of real estate prices combined with a credit squeeze, more and more families are finding it difficult to nearly impossible to create two residencies. In the divorce context, this means more and more courts are being asked to accept versions of a marital separation with varying degrees of actual, physical "separation." This type of separation is generally called "separate but under the same roof."   In Virginia, a divorce may be granted to either party if and when they have lived separate and apart without any cohabitation...

Most people don't know that "distracted driving" was the 2009 word of the year chosen by Webster's Dictionary. Unfortunately, this is no passing fad. Distracted driving has become a trend with deadly, real consequences.   For people who think they can talk on their phone, text, apply make-up, or do any other distracting activity while driving, it's time for a crash course in reality from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): In 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver....

Only lawyers trained in the collaborative divorce process participate in the process. Most collaborative law practitioners have also been trained in counseling or mediation before receiving collaborative law training.     The lawyers and the clients are committed to treating one another with respect; to listening to one another's perspectives, interests and concerns; to gathering and exchanging all of the information each client needs; to exploring all possible options; and to focusing on the future in order to find solutions acceptable to both clients.     Each lawyer will represent his or her own client, but will also listen...

What is Collaborative Divorce? Part 1 The Collaborative Divorce Process focuses on cooperation, not confrontation. It is a means of problem solving with the assistance and guidance of a lawyer for each spouse. The lawyers help the clients to determine and focus on what is important to them; they guide the clients in trying to understand one another's concerns; they assist in exchanging information; they encourage the exploration of a wide range of possible choices; and they work towards reaching solutions acceptable to both clients. The clients are responsible for gathering information and proposing solutions. The focus is on...

  Thank you to Guest Blogger Richard A. Jones, Battalion Chief, Public Information Officer, Charlottesville Fire Department, Charlottesville, Virginia.   Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms, and advance planning--a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced. Basic Fire Escape Planning: Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes.  Households with children should consider drawing a...

Football is America's game. The battle line is drawn at the line of scrimmage and at the snap, players lay into each other and the melee begins. Players are taught to play hard, hit hard and to make it stick. They wear uniforms with pads and helmets not just to identify one team from another but to protect themselves while doing battle. Last year, the battles on the NFL gridiron caused 266 player concussions, according to an analysis of injuries by Edgeworth Economics, a consulting firm for the NFL players' union. The year before, players suffered 270 concussions. As...

As the Washington Post reports, the National Football League will donate $30 million to the National Institutes of Health to advance studies into the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of traumatic brain injuries. The donation is part of the NFL's recent partnership with the United States Army to study brain injuries. Like NFL players, an alarming number of soldiers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with symptoms of traumatic brain injury.     The term "traumatic brain injury" or "TBI" covers a wide range of injuries, some comparatively "mild" like low-grade concussions to severe, permanent brain damage. A TBI typically...

In the movies, heroes and super heroes leap and fall from bone breaking heights, shrug it off and carry on as if nothing happened. For the rest of us who don't have stunt doubles, computer graphics, concealed guy wires and judicious video editing, falls can be serious, if not deadly.     Falls are a leading cause of accidental death in America, particularly for people over age 65. For children, falls are a leading cause of hospital emergency room visits. For the young, old and everyone in between, fall prevention often takes a back seat in our minds because...

Currently, in contested custody cases in Virginia, the law speaks in terms of the court's ability to determine custody or visitation arrangements. The law also speaks in terns of legal and physical custody. Often batted around is the phrase "primary physical custody." Each of these terms and phrases carries perhaps more meaning to the lay person and parent involved in litigation than it should.   Some states have revised their laws to remove the word "custody" from divorce proceedings and the litigation involving children. Instead of the word "custody," these statutes refer to "parental responsibilities;" "parenting time;" and/or "decision-making."   Changing...

May 19, 2012 - Lumberton, NC - The driver of a 2009 Pontiac turns into the path of 22 year old Krystle Rose Lowery riding a 2003 Suzuki motorcycle. Lowery hit the rear passenger door of the Pontiac and died of her injuries at Southeastern Regional Hospital.   May 19, 2012 - Norco, CA - At about 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, the driver of a van makes a left turn in front of John Cupp, 64, who was riding a motocycle. Cupp was wearing a helmet but died within an hour of the crash.   May 28, 2012...