When you are not the primary custodial parent, every weekend, every weeknight, every holiday matters. We help you secure real time with your children, and we protect it when someone tries to take it away.
First call is a conversation, not a commitment.
Less time does not mean less of a parent. Visitation is parenting time, just structured.
In Virginia, the difference between 90 overnights and 91 is the difference between two completely different child support calculations. The visitation schedule you sign is also a child support decision.
When you have fewer than 91 overnights with your child in a year, the other parent is treated as the sole physical custodian for child support. Support is calculated under the regular Virginia guideline formula, with no shared-custody adjustment.
At 91 overnights or more, the shared custody calculation in Va. Code § 20-108.2(G) kicks in. Support is adjusted based on the overlap in expenses, the income of each parent, and the days each parent has the child.
These are the schedules we draft most often for non-primary parents. Each card shows the rhythm over two weeks, with the visiting parent's time in brass.
The traditional Virginia visitation schedule. Friday evening to Sunday evening every other week, plus a Wednesday evening for dinner or homework. Around 80 overnights per year, just under the shared-custody threshold.
Children leave the primary home Thursday or Friday afternoon and return Monday morning. Often clears the 91-overnight threshold when paired with summer or holiday time, which puts you into shared custody math.
Three full days each week with the visiting parent on a consistent schedule. Comfortably above 91 overnights per year, which triggers the shared custody support calculation.
When parents live far apart, the visiting parent often takes most of the summer and major school breaks. Frequent video calls, holiday weekends, and shared travel rituals fill in the gaps.
Supervised visitation is rare, but it happens. The point is never to punish a parent. It is to keep visits happening safely while concerns are addressed. The goal is almost always to move toward unsupervised time.
Concerns about safety can trigger supervised visitation. That includes documented abuse or neglect, active substance abuse, untreated mental health issues, or a long absence from the child's life.
A trusted family member, a professional supervisor, or a licensed supervised visitation facility. The court picks based on the level of concern and the resources each family has.
Supervised orders are usually a step, not a destination. Completing the conditions the court sets, building a consistent record, and showing change is how you earn back unsupervised time.
From the first parenting schedule to a contempt motion, here is the work we take on, grouped to make it easier to find what fits.
Every other weekend with a midweek dinner is the most common Virginia visitation schedule. We tailor it to your work, school, and the age of your child.
Classic ScheduleThursday or Friday through Monday. More time, fewer transitions, and often the key to crossing the 91-overnight line.
Long WeekendsA weeknight visit between weekends keeps you woven into your child's school week. Often the difference between feeling distant and feeling present.
Weeknight TimeChristmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and school breaks need their own rules. We write them so nobody is guessing in December.
Year-Round PlanningTwo weeks, four weeks, or a full summer split. The longer break is often when the deeper memories are made.
School BreakSchool year with one parent, summer and breaks with the other. We build in calls, travel, and the rituals that keep the bond alive across miles.
Across State LinesWhen safety is the concern, we work the order responsibly and map the path back to unsupervised time as quickly as possible.
Safety FirstIf the other parent is denying visitation, we document, file a motion to enforce, and ask the court for make-up time, fees, or contempt remedies.
Court EnforcementSchedules built for a five-year-old do not work for a fifteen-year-old. We modify the order when a material change in circumstances calls for one.
Material Change StandardVirginia grandparents can petition for visitation in limited circumstances. We assess your case and pursue it carefully when the law supports it.
Limited StandingWhen you have missed time you were owed, we ask the court to order specific make-up days, not just an apology and a hope that next month is better.
Recovering Lost TimeWhen either parent wants to travel internationally with the child or relocate, we handle notice, consent, and any objection that needs to be filed.
Notice & ConsentA court order is a court order. When the other parent refuses to follow it, Virginia courts have real tools to fix that. Here is how we use them.
Write down every missed visit, every refused exchange, every excuse. Save texts and emails. Patterns matter to judges more than single bad days.
We file a motion to enforce the existing order, or a show cause motion that asks the court to hold the other parent in contempt.
Make-up time, modification of the order to be more specific, attorney fees, and in extreme cases, fines or jail. Courts can and do use these tools.
The other parent's bad behavior helps your case only if you keep doing yours right. Show up on time. Stay calm. Let the record speak.
"The parents who fight hardest for their kids are often the ones who feel like they are being shut out. Court is not the only tool, but it is a real one."
The 91-overnight line decides the child support formula. Mark a calendar. Track the actual number. Small schedule changes can move you across the line in either direction, and the money math follows.
Late pickups, missed exchanges, and last-minute changes feed the other side's story about you. Reliable parenting is its own evidence in front of a judge.
When the other parent breaks the order, the answer is a motion, not a payback. Keep your record clean. Let the court see one parent following the order and one parent who is not.
Your time with your child is too important to learn on. Here is what we bring to your case.
Decades of Virginia custody and visitation work across the Northern Virginia courts.
Every schedule we draft is built around current Virginia statute and the way local judges actually rule.
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, Super Lawyers, Avvo 10.0, and Best of the Best honors.
Real reviews from real Virginia parents we have stood beside in court.
"She was responsive when I needed a response and looked out for my best interests. She was direct about how the process would go. I have already recommended her to friends."
Read what families across Northern Virginia have shared about working with our attorneys.
These are the questions we hear from non-primary parents on a first call. If you have a different one, we are happy to answer it directly.
In Virginia, custody refers to legal authority over your child (decision-making and where they live). Visitation, also called parenting time, is the scheduled time the non-primary parent spends with the child. When one parent has primary physical custody, the other typically has a visitation schedule. When parents share custody more equally, the time is usually called the parenting schedule instead.
Under Virginia Code § 20-108.2(G), a parent with fewer than 91 overnights with the child per year is treated as the sole physical custodian for child support purposes. A parent with 91 or more overnights triggers the shared custody child support calculation. The 91-overnight threshold is the line between two very different support calculations, so the number of overnights in your visitation schedule directly affects child support.
If a parent denies court-ordered visitation, the other parent can file a motion to enforce or a show cause motion for contempt of court. Virginia courts take violations seriously and can order make-up time, attorney fees, fines, or in extreme cases, jail. Documenting each denial in writing is the first step. An attorney can help convert documented denials into court action that restores your parenting time.
Yes. A judge can order supervised visitation when there are safety concerns about the child being alone with a parent. Concerns can include a history of abuse, neglect, substance abuse, or untreated mental health issues. Supervision can be provided by another adult family member, a professional supervisor, or a facility. Supervised visitation can be modified to unsupervised when circumstances change and the original concerns have been addressed.
A visitation order can be modified by agreement between the parents, or by court order when there has been a material change in circumstances since the last order. The change must affect the child's needs or one parent's ability to care for the child. The court reviews the modification under the best interests standard. Common reasons include relocation, a change in work schedule, or the child's changing needs.
Tell us what is happening with your time and we will help you see the path forward. Three offices across Northern Virginia, one phone number.
