Monday - Friday8:30AM - 5PM
OfficesFairfax | Manassas
Family Law Attorneys · Ballston, Virginia
Your service should never cost you your children.
For Ballston's military families, custody is the part of a divorce that frightens parents most. The good news comes first: in Virginia, your service cannot be held against you simply because you serve. We help Ballston service members and military spouses protect their time with their children, with the case heard at the Arlington County Justice Center. Reach us when you are ready.
A first call is steady, and it is free.
You Are Not Alone
Around Ballston, many families have a service member balancing duty and parenting. None of them do it alone, and neither will you.
Best
interest of the child decides custody, not your service
Va. Code § 20-124.3
Protected
deployment cannot be the sole factor against a service member
Va. Code § 20-124.7
17th
Judicial Circuit, where Arlington cases are decided
Arlington County Circuit Court
50+
years of combined family law practice
Three Northern Virginia offices
What We Handle
Family law help for Ballston military families.
When a parent serves, custody has to account for deployments, training, and the chance of a move. The law protects the parent who serves, and a careful plan makes that protection real. Here is the work we take on.
Looking for a family law attorney near Ballston? NOVA Legal Professionals helps Ballston military families with custody, deployment planning, divorce, child support, and pension division, with cases at the Arlington County Justice Center. Talk with an attorney at 571.260.0999.
01 /
The matter of your children.
01
Contested Divorce
When custody cannot be agreed, an Arlington judge decides on the child's best interest. We present the full picture of your parenting and try the case when needed.
When You Cannot Agree 02Equitable Distribution
Virginia divides marital property by what is fair, not a flat half. We work every factor so the division reflects your marriage.
Fair, Not Equal 03Asset Division
The house or condo, the accounts, and military or federal retirement, we identify and value every marital asset so the division is clear and final.
The Marital Estate 04Separation Agreements
A parenting plan written into your agreement can set deployment and exchange terms in advance. We draft yours so a future move is handled calmly.
First Protection 05Child Support
Child support follows the state guideline, built on both incomes and the parenting schedule. We make sure the inputs, including allowances, are right.
Guideline & Beyond 06Custody & Parenting
Custody turns on the child's best interest, and your service cannot count against you. We build plans that preserve your time through deployments and moves.
Parenting Time 07Spousal Support
Spousal support steadies a household while it resets. Whether you would pay or receive it, we work toward a fair amount and a fair term.
Maintenance 08Military Divorce
Ballston families often include a service member. We handle pension division, SCRA protections, and custody built around deployment and PCS orders.
Service MembersWhere Your Case Is Heard
Where a Ballston case is heard.
Ballston is central Arlington, a short hop from the courthouse. A divorce that includes custody is filed in the Arlington County Circuit Court; custody on its own goes to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, both inside the Arlington County Justice Center at 1425 North Courthouse Road.
Circuit Court
Arlington County Circuit Court
17th Judicial Circuit
HearsThe divorce, property division, and custody and support when part of the divorce.
DecidesEquitable distribution, plus support and custody inside the divorce.
Where1425 North Courthouse Road, in the Courthouse neighborhood, the 17th Judicial Circuit.
NoteThe 17th Circuit also covers the City of Falls Church.
J&DR Court
Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
Family matters outside a divorce
HearsCustody, visitation, child support, and protective orders on their own.
StartMost cases open at the intake desk before a hearing is set.
WhereThe same Justice Center on North Courthouse Road, Suite 4100.
NoteDeployment-related and relocation custody questions are handled here.
Alisa Chunephisal, Esq.Family Law Attorney
Attorney Insights
What I tell Ballston parents who serve.
Your service is part of who you are, not a mark against you as a parent. The law says so, and a careful case makes the court see it.
- 1
Document the everyday parenting
The best interests standard rewards the parent the court can actually see in the child's daily life. Keep a record of the school runs, the appointments, and the bedtimes you handle, so your role is clear on paper as well as in fact.
- 2
Deployment cannot be the only strike
Virginia bars a court from using a deployment, or the chance of one, as the sole reason to rule against a service member parent. We make sure your service is presented as a responsibility you carry, not a reason to question your parenting.
- 3
Plan for the move before the orders come
A custody order can set how parenting time is preserved during a deployment and how a permanent change of station is handled. Planning it in advance turns a future move into a calm adjustment instead of a crisis.
Why Families Trust Us
Help protecting a service member's bond.
When your service and your children are both on the line, you want counsel who knows the protections the law gives parents who serve.
Experience
50+
Years Combined
Years of handling military custody for Ballston and Arlington families.
Expertise
100%
Family Law Focus
Family law is the whole practice, military custody included.
Authority
AV
Preeminent Rated
Peer rated AV Preeminent, listed in Super Lawyers, and rated 10.0 on Avvo.
Trust
5★
Verified Reviews
Verified five star reviews from military families and others across Northern Virginia.
Recognition
Recognition military families trust.
We have helped Ballston service members and military spouses build custody arrangements that held through deployments and moves, with both parents in their children's lives.
Our commitment to Ballston
From Our Clients
Ballston families in their own words.
Read what Ballston military families have shared about protecting custody with our attorneys.
Questions People Actually Ask
Plain answers, about military custody.
These are the questions Ballston military families ask first. If yours is not here, just ask.
Have a question about military custody?Call 571.260.0999 or send us a message.
Can my service be used against me in custody?
No. Virginia decides custody by the child's best interest under Va. Code 20-124.3, and being in uniform does not make a parent less fit. We present the daily care and the bond behind your service so the court sees the parent, not just the assignment.
Can a deployment cost me custody?
It cannot be the sole reason. Virginia law bars a court from using a deployment, or the possibility of one, as the only factor against a service member parent. A strong order also plans for how parenting time continues while you are away.
What happens to custody if I get a PCS?
A permanent change of station does not automatically change custody. A move is handled through Virginia's relocation rules, weighing the child's best interest, rather than decided by one parent alone. We help both the service member and the parent at home plan for it.
How do we handle parenting time during deployment?
The best arrangements plan for it in advance, setting how time is preserved, how the child stays connected, and how the schedule resumes on return. Building that into the order beforehand is far better than scrambling once orders arrive.
Where is a Ballston custody case heard?
In Arlington County. Custody on its own runs through the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court at the Justice Center, 1425 North Courthouse Road; a divorce that includes custody is filed in the Arlington County Circuit Court in the same building.
Before You Decide
Reading for military families.
Plain English guides Ballston military families reach for most.
A
Military Child Custody in Ballston
How the best interests standard works and where your service is protected.
Military DivorceBHow Do I Get a Divorce in Virginia?
The plain English overview of grounds, timelines, and the steps to a final decree.
Virginia GuideCCo-Parenting and Notice
How notice and a parenting schedule work between two homes.
Co-ParentingWhen You Are Ready
When you are ready, let's protect your time.
Tell us about your family and your assignment, and we will help you build a Ballston custody arrangement that protects your bond through every posting.