Fairfax VA Family Lawyer

Dedicated and Trusted Legal Counselors for Your Family Law Issues

We know family matters like divorce are challenging and sensitive, especially when children are involved. Our Fairfax, VA family law attorneys are dedicated to providing clients with customized solutions for their most challenging problems.

Having an experienced and knowledgeable family law attorney on your side can go a long way toward relieving the stresses of family law issues and disputes. Select Law Partners advocates for you and guides you through every step of the legal process, leaving you more time to focus on your family.

Call us at (855) 541-4867 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation with us.

Family law cases that we handle every day

At Select Law Partners, we help our clients with many types of family law matters. A few of the family law cases we handle every day include: 

Uncontested and contested divorce

Which divorce process is best for you depends on whether you and your spouse have significant differences on issues like child custody, child support, spousal support, alimony, property division, and debt.

If you mostly agree on all matters, then an uncontested divorce may be your most straightforward option. We can help you move forward with an uncontested divorce under state law. 

However, many spouses cannot agree about everything during the divorce process. Contested divorces are common, whether the disagreement is about child custody, spousal support, property division, or the divorce itself. If you’re in this situation, we can help you file a contested divorce. 

Military divorce and federal employee divorce

Military divorces and federal employee divorces come with their unique challenges. There are special circumstances for these employees that must be taken into consideration during divorce proceedings. Select Law Partners can provide you with the knowledge and experience you need to manage the special considerations that come with your military or federal employee divorce.

Child custody

Family law issues become more sensitive when children are involved. Our Fairfax family lawyers provide compassionate and experienced legal advocacy to families who need assistance with child custody disputes. 

Virginia courts use the “best interests of the child” standard to determine custody. The court will consider many factors in determining the best interests of the child, including but not limited to the:

  • Child’s age, physical condition, and mental condition
  • Child’s changing developmental needs
  • Parents’ ages, physical conditions, and mental conditions
  • Existing relationship between the child and each parent

When parents divorce or separate, Virginia recognizes legal and physical custody of children.

Legal custody includes making important decisions about a child’s life. Examples include education and medical care. Physical custody is where a child lives regularly. The court may award parents legal, physical, joint, or sole custody.

Child support

Virginia law requires that parents financially support their minor children. If a child’s parents are divorced or separated, it’s common for one parent to seek child support from the other parent. The courts examine many factors when determining child support, including but not limited to: 

  • Income of each parent
  • Number of children within the relationship
  • Number of children outside of the relationship
  • Custodial schedule

Spousal support

Our Fairfax family attorneys provide knowledgeable and experienced representation to clients facing spousal support issues. In Virginia, spousal support may affect single-income couples facing divorce or working couples with significant income differences. 

The court examines many factors when determining spousal support. These factors include but are not limited to:

  • Length of the marriage
  • Financial needs, obligations, and resources of each spouse
  • Age, physical, and mental health of each spouse
  • Financial contributions to the marriage
  • Standard of living the couple obtained during the marriage

Adoption

Have you decided to adopt a child or are you interested in learning about the legal adoption process? Whether you seek to grow your family or adopt your partner’s child, our Fairfax family lawyers can guide you. 

Virginia adoption laws are complex. A trusted legal counselor can help you understand your legal rights and adoption procedures during this celebratory occasion.   

Prenuptial agreements

Prenuptial agreements get a bad reputation for being the unromantic beginning of a doomed marriage. However, a marriage is a legal contract with financial implications. It has profound consequences for both parties if it ends in divorce. 

A prenuptial agreement should be mutually beneficial for both parties. It’s a chance for you and your partner to address important and sometimes difficult questions about premarital assets and debts, children, pets, real estate, business, and even retirement before you marry. 

We can help you create an inclusive prenuptial agreement to protect each other and yourselves.

Methods centered around resolution

Sometimes, going to court is the only way to settle a contentious divorce or custody agreement. In many cases though, parties can arrive at a less messy, less expensive, and more respectful resolution without even steeping into court.

Select Law Partners is proud to offer two communication-centric approaches for divorce and other family law matters: collaboration and mediation.

Collaborative divorces

Collaborative Divorce is a way for married couples to resolve disputes without going to court. The process involves the divorcing couple, their attorneys, and trained professionals (financial experts, mental health counselors, etc.) who help the couple express their needs and work towards resolution in a respectful manner where both parties have their voices heard.

Also known as “peaceful divorce” and “divorce with dignity,” Collaborative Divorce is becoming more popular in Virginia because it takes the “messiness” and resentment out of the process and negates the need for litigation in the courts. 

Unlike a conventional divorce, in Collaborative Divorce each party must pledge that they’ll reach an agreement before going to court. Throughout the process, you and your attorney will meet with your spouse and their attorney to express each party’s needs and expectations.

Sarah Goding is our certified Collaborative Divorce attorney, and she’ll work with you to negotiate a mutually acceptable settlement.

Mediation

Family law matters are sensitive and often require a more human approach to dispute resolution than taking the matter to court. Instead of going to court, where one party almost always “loses,” creating even more resentment between parties, our firm is proud to offer constructive mediation in resolving the dispute.

Mediation allows you to respectfully communicate your needs, interests, and concerns in a way that’s more conducive to a favorable outcome. This method fosters informed, empathetic decisions rather than hasty ones made out of spite or resentment.

If you think mediation may be the best choice, you’ll begin by gathering relevant information, like divorce papers, child support worksheets, and/or savings and loan account information. Next, the mediator will help each spouse outline their “interests and needs,” including what each party wants to accomplish through mediation and divorce. Identifying those needs and interests is at the heart of mediation, and when issues are framed clearly, an agreeable settlement is more likely.

Matthew Kurylo and Sarah Goding are certified mediators with Select Law Partners. Want to learn more about mediation and Collaborative Divorce? Call (855) 541-4867 now.

Why you can trust Select Law Partners for your family law needs

Select Law Partners is a client-centered firm of Fairfax family lawyers who provide compassionate and effective counsel to our clients in Northern Virginia. 

Our goal is to help achieve the best possible outcome for you and your family. We want to be your trusted legal advisor on any legal matter that may impact you or your family. Here are three reasons why you can trust us:

Integrity

Integrity is one of Select Law Partners’ core values. You want to work with an attorney who you can trust, and we want to create strong and established relationships with our clients. Trust is earned, so we strive to create an environment where our clients feel safe, comfortable, and understood when they work with us. 

Trust starts with an open dialogue about your case, your expectations, and our expectations. 

Our attorneys will take the time to understand your situation. We’ll be honest with you about your case, including its strengths and weaknesses, and help you understand your legal options. 

You can count on us to offer you the best advice and counsel possible.

Communication

Open and honest communication is essential to an attorney-client relationship. We understand that you and your family may be facing one of the most challenging times in your life. We’ll take the time to learn about your family situation and goals and address your questions and concerns. 

Our team will explain the laws that will impact your circumstances and help you resolve your case in the least stressful and most cost-effective way we can.

We understand that too many lawyers get a bad reputation for being unavailable to their clients. Our lawyers work every day to break that reputation. At Select Law Partners, you get the one-on-one attention you expect and deserve with the effectiveness and efficiency of having an entire legal team on your side.

Diligence

Our Fairfax family lawyers treat every case with care and dedication. When handling your case, we handle the entire legal process, ensuring documents are filed with precision and timeliness. 

We are a client-centric firm that puts our clients’ interests first, keeping them informed every step of the way. 

When you work with the family law attorneys at Select Law Partners, you have a team on your side to guide you through your legal matter. Because of this, you can expect results.

What to look for when hiring a family lawyer in Fairfax

What qualities should you look for in a Fairfax, VA family attorney? We understand that finding the best family lawyer for your needs can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never had to have a lawyer. 

The list below is not comprehensive, but we hope it gives you a solid starting point for your search.

1. Experience

Experience encompasses more than just how many years someone has been practicing law. While you may feel more comfortable working with an established law firm, you should also look for an attorney who regularly handles family law cases similar to yours. 

A few questions you may consider asking before hiring an attorney include:

  • How long have you been practicing family law?
  • Have you worked on cases similar to mine? 
  • What percentage of your practice is dedicated to family law?

2. Reputation

How do past clients, peers, and the community view the attorney or law firm? Understanding a law firm’s reputation can give you insight into how the firm treats its clients and the quality of its work.

You may be able to find client reviews about the attorney or law firm online. Check reviews on the law firm’s listings like Google Business Profile. You can also check the law firm’s website for testimonials.

3. Accessibility

When facing a sensitive and complicated family issue, you want an attorney who is accessible to you and a good communicator. 

A couple of questions to ask to gauge an attorney’s accessibility include:

  • Will you be the main point of contact for my case? If not, who will be? 
  • Which communication methods, like email or phone, do you use to work with clients?
  • How often should I expect progress reports about my case? 

Meet our Fairfax family law attorneys

Sarah G. Goding

Sarah is a dynamic family law attorney with extensive experience assisting federal employees, military service members, and their spouses navigate divorces, child custody, and support matters. Sarah is also a mediator and certified collaborative divorce attorney who helps clients reach successful settlements without expensive and lengthy litigation. You can see Sarah’s full profile here

Ben Brasfield

Ben is a Virginia native and has been practicing law since 2015. He focuses on family law, which encompasses divorce and child issues such as custody and visitation. He also has extensive experience handling domestic violence cases and a well-rounded understanding of the interplay between criminal law and family law matters. You can see Ben’s full profile here.

Matthew Kurylo

Matthew is a Virginia native committed to providing high-quality representation to families in Northern Virginia. He handles family law cases involving divorce, military divorce, child custody, child support, and property division. He also provides mediation services related to family law issues. You can see Matthew’s full profile here.

Our Fairfax, VA family law attorneys provide the security and reassurance you need during this difficult time

Do you need legal help with a family law matter in Fairfax, VA or NoVA? Schedule a consultation with our Fairfax, VA family law attorneys to discuss your situation. We know these are challenging times and are here to be your trusted legal advocates and counselors. 

Call us at (855) 541-4867 or fill out our online contact form and we will be in touch with you soon. We offer several convenient office locations throughout Virginia and North Carolina.