Does anyone have a recommendation for a vet friendly (returning to active duty) family attorney in northern Virginia?

2019-03-06T12:51:27-05:00

I'm returning to active duty in two months and needing to file for a child support modification to reflect the change in benefits for my dependents and a substantial reduction in salary. So far I've been asked for 5K and 4K retainers, and they seemed to know very little about the militaries idiosyncrasies. I'm certainly not asking for a free lunch but that seemed a bit high for some paperwork filing, especially when my entire divorce didn't even cost that. Thanks in advance.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 6 at 2019 1:23 PM

2019-03-06T13:23:06-05:00

Check on a JAG officer.

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Mar 6 at 2019 1:59 PM

2019-03-06T13:59:37-05:00

Weird! Northern Virginia ought be full of military experienced attorneys due to the Military District of Washington (MDW). You should google UCMJ experienced lawyers in norther VA. You’ll get a list of available options.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 6 at 2019 2:05 PM

2019-03-06T14:05:51-05:00

http://www.vetadvocates.org

(I'll explain this site below, trust me, read my whole thing, to follow my gist here, OK?)

Purely as a suggestion, these don't always take all cases, that's a faculty decision, plus, there'd need to be one near you, most law schools are reqd to have what are termed clinics for law students. Frequently, those often, though not always, include vet law clinics as part the repertoire of such clinic training. My wife and I went to one relatvely near us to ask some questions about some stuff, though we were never able to make use of the law students involved, as our stuff would've been too time consuming. Interestngly, we'd started our whole total perm disability VA claim for me through a vet group, another possibility you obv might've considered, I'll get back to that, pwe ten moved my thing to a group that had a seriously experienced VA disability attorney, he'd done three yeare active, was an older man, who'd done VA disability law for some 35-40 yrs, give or take, and pretty much knew more about it then God, he was also quite high in the food chain of the group, called NOVA, that's their site I included here, he even got us pro bono free help, as my thing was pretty legally horrendous, he's one of those lawyers my wife and I have needed help from for all our disability stuff over a quite long period (she was never in, only I was, her stuff was non mil) who've convinced us both, esp. myself, exactly why God invented attorneys. We had to pay a $500 consult, that was it, my thing took six and a half yrs all told, incl the vet group, which did try, my whole thing was simply needing a different approach due to its complexity. He got what the law allowed him from VA of the back money we got, we just did exactly what he said, through all the myriad appeals. Now, I completely realize your thing isn't a VA disability thing, I get that, however, the NOVA search engine and main off phone are very often quite handy things to have, to at least he able to ask advice from attorneys hooked into things VA/mil related near yu, plus, in your case, whom they might suggest, aside from maybe being able to handle your thing themselves. What turned out as well was that our NOVA guy was actually involved with the vet law clinic at the law school by us, we didn't see him when we'd been over there, though he did tell us he did show up the days we were over, he must've been busy with other possible claimants needing help. You could also ask at county vet ofcs for any possible thoughts as to attorneys who might be able to help you, as well, they might conceivably know of someone, though there might be restrictions on them suggesting somebody, private if they're part of government, that's something you'd also need to expect. We had another group we found as well, a private one, that has a quite large pro bono vet segment, there quite large, with mult ofcs in mult cities, we were able to get their help for us for my mother in law, who's 97, she's no longer competent, she's a double combat vet widow, plus, my late brother in law had been in noncombat during Vietnam, my wife's Dad and stepdad, her Mom falls under the stepdad mainly due to VA going by the last marriage, to submit her for nonsvc connected (NSC) low income pension then also to try for aid and attendance (A&A), as well as for help to try to set up a joint VA Medicaid trust, which is ultra specialized. We've had to do the thing for Mom with them by the whole email/phone/fax bit, that's why I'm saying you might well have to also. Having said all that, most large law groups are generally reqd under ABA guidelines, or dome as a matter of community involvement and good corporate practice to have pro bono committees, so, if you can get ahold of one of the NOVA types near you, or call the NOVA main ofc, and just explain your predicament, "maybe" you could "possibly" get hooked up with a pro bono corporate law group to help you, as our NOVA guy was able to get them to help him with our whole VA disability thing for me.Though, even if pro bono committees can't help you completely with anything totally free, if you can document hardship, "maybe" they might "possibly" be able to at least reduce the cost to something you can handle, or maybe also do a manageable payment plan, also a thought you might ask about. I've also explored the possibility of paralegals, as I've often seen them advertise, however, they often fluctuate in cost and experience quite markedly, you just need to realize that, plus, there's a MAJOR gulf between an attorney and a paralegal, honest, we've seen real lawyers do real law, sevl times now, plus, one of my best friends from clinical training I did before my disability, we shut my license sevl yrs ago, I'd been doctoral level allied health, he switched to law, so he's given me a fairly decent idea of what law school is like, plus, he'd gone for paralegal as part of his bachelors first, so he's seen both, OK? Le!me know your thoughts, I'd be most eager to hear more if I can suggest more, I'll try, I found yours a most interesting and unusual problem, I hope at least some of what I'd suggested might possibly be of at least some use, I'm here anytime if you wanna chat more, OK?

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Response by MSG Frank Kapaun made Mar 6 at 2019 2:41 PM

2019-03-06T14:41:55-05:00

My advice to you would be to get an attorney that is part of the father’s rights movement. The other piece of advice I would offer is do not skimp on an attorney under any circumstances. Research which ones are in the “courthouse loop” and choose one. Be super careful and document any and all interactions between you and the custodial parent. If possible have a witness present during any face to face interactions.

Response by CDR Terry Boles made Mar 6 at 2019 11:00 PM

2019-03-06T23:00:28-05:00

A buddy used Cordell Cordell firm which is very involved in military cases. I have to agree with others, do not skimp in a law firm and it might be a real uphill battle with a voluntary reduction of income. Good luck!

http://cordellcordell.com

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