Divorce Definitions

Custodial parent The parent who has physical custody of the children. Residual Physical Custodial Rights A custody agreement when one parent is awarded visitation by a pre-arranged schedule worked out between the parents or the courts. Child Support An amount of money under a court or administrative order that is due and owed by the non-custodial parent for the support of the parent's child(ren). Legal Separation A court order arranging the terms (custody, support, etc.) under which a married couple will live separately. This addresses the same issues as divorce, but does not completely dissolve the marriage. Paternity The determination of who the father of a child is in order to arrange child custody and child support in the event of a divorce. Alimony A payment made by one spouse to another pending divorce or separation. Annulment The legal dissolution of a marriage. In an annulment, the marriage is treated as though it never existed. Buccal Swab A recognized form of genetic testing used to determine paternity, which involves a q-tip type instrument for collecting saliva from individuals submitting to testing. Abandonment When a parent leaves a child without enough care, supervision, support, or parental contact for an excessive period of time. Temporary alimony A type of alimony payment that is made to one spouse pending separation or divorce proceedings.

Contact our Virginia Divorce Lawyer now.

	Did You Know?
	In divorce actions, mediators often are involved in custody and visitation disputes. In some jurisdictions (particularly large urban areas), courts require mediation of custody and visitation disputes. The mother and father must talk with a court-appointed mediator to try to resolve the problem before putting their case before a judge. The mediator cannot force a resolution, but the parties can be told to try mediation before coming to court to ask a judge to decide the issue.