41st Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar 2025

A pre-recorded streaming VIDEO replay from the April 2025 live seminar, 41^st Annual Advanced Family Law.

Cosponsored with the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar

Celebrating more than four decades, this dynamic seminar comprising judges, experienced practitioners, and experts in the field present updates on family law. They also will share their expert advice on topics that are vital to family law practitioners in Virginia.

This year’s topics include:

• Updates on legislative changes and new case law affecting family law practice.

• A panel discussion on income imputation and best practices for dealing with unemployed and underemployed parties in support hearings.
• An exploration of the various types of drug tests a court can order parents to undergo in custody matters and how to request the best one for your case.
• Pitfalls of drafting and recording deeds, as well as what to look for when reviewing deeds prepared by other attorneys.
• Key ethical dilemmas such as handling lying clients, managing overly aggressive or vindictive demands, navigating confidentiality breaches, and dealing with clients who jeopardize their own cases.

Case Law Update
Craig W. Sampson, Esq.

A thorough review of significant family law cases affecting Virginia attorneys.

Legislative Update
Daniel L. Gray, Esq.

A comprehensive summary of the status of recent legislative changes affecting family law in Virginia.

The Quest to Impute Income—Effective Use of Evidence and Experts
Hon. Andrew S. Baugher, Hon. Randall G. Johnson, Jr., Steve Shedlin, M.Ed., CRC, Mitchell D. Broudy, Esq., with Wyatt Taylor, Esq., moderating

Support is largely about numbers. Or is it? The Virginia Code allows a court to determine child support and spousal support based on a consideration of whether a party is underemployed and what that party’s earning capacity is. Providing the court sufficient proof of what a party can do, their availability to do it, and the income that could be earned doing it can come in the form of different evidence and testimony. A panel of attorneys, judges, and experts will discuss how to gather the facts and present the information to the court and when it is persuasive to the trier of fact.

Decoding Drug Tests: Best Practices and Strategies
Hon. Stephanie Ayers, Paul Mungo, and Lori Battistoni, Esq., with Nicole Thurston, Esq., moderating

This panel, consisting of a Juvenile Court Judge, a guardian ad litem, and an expert in drug testing, will explore the various types of drug tests a court can order parents to undergo in custody matters and how to request the best one for your case.

Divorce and Deeds: The Dos, the Don’ts, and the Dangers
Amanda Sams, Esq.

It is standard practice for many divorce attorneys to draft their own deeds transferring real property at the conclusion of a divorce, but few domestic attorneys have any formal training on deed preparation and getting it wrong can have terrible consequences. Learn the pitfalls for drafting and recording deeds, as well as what to look for when reviewing deeds prepared by other attorneys. We will also briefly touch on how to guide our separated clients who were never married.

The Ten Clients Who May Get You Disbarred and How to Deal with Them Ethically (1 hour of Ethics)
Hon. Daniel E. Ortiz, Bruce H. Russell, II, Esq., and Barry J. Waldman, Esq.

Join Virginia Court of Appeals Judge Daniel Ortiz and attorneys Barry J. Waldman of Fredericksburg and Bruce H. Russell, II of Abingdon for this lively and insightful CLE presentation, which builds on last year’s popular “10 Clients You Can, Should, and MUST Fire.” With insights from both the bench and active litigators, the trio will tackle the top ten types of clients who pose the greatest ethical challenges to Virginia attorneys.

This practical session dives into key ethical dilemmas such as handling lying clients, managing overly aggressive or vindictive demands, navigating confidentiality breaches, and dealing with clients who jeopardize their own cases. Using real-world examples, disciplinary opinions, and Virginia’s Rules of Professional Conduct, the presenters will provide possible strategies to manage these high-risk clients while safeguarding your ethical obligations and professional reputation.

In an approachable fashion, the presenters will seek to be both valuable and lighthearted while conveying the importance of maintaining ethical standards even in the face of clients who are inherently difficult.

Faculty

Hon. Stephanie Ayers, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, 24^th Circuit / Bedford
Hon. Andrew S. Baugher, 26^th Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia / Rockingham County
Hon. Randall G. Johnson, Jr., 14^th Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia / Henrico County
Hon. Daniel E. Ortiz, Court of Appeals of Virginia / Richmond
Lori Battistoni, CASA / Prince William County
Mitchell D. Broudy, Office of the Attorney General / Virginia Beach
Daniel L. Gray, Cooper Ginsberg Gray PLLC / Fairfax
Paul Mungo, Drug Testing Solutions of Virginia / Virginia Beach
Bruce H. Russell, II, Bruce H. Russell, II, PC / Lebanon
Craig W. Sampson, Barnes & Diehl, PC / Richmond
Amanda Sams, Shaheen Law Firm / Virginia Beach
Steve Shedlin, Rehabilitation Experts of Maryland, Inc. / Rockville, MD
Wyatt Taylor, Owens & Owens / Richmond
Nicole Thurston, Mahoney, Richmond, Thurston, LLC / Virginia Beach
Barry J. Waldman, Waldman & Associates PLLC / Fredericksburg

Moderator

Craig W. Sampson, Barnes & Diehl, PC / Richmond

Course Co-planners

Hon. Daniel E. Ortiz, Court of Appeals of Virginia / Richmond
Nanda E. Davis, Davis Law Practice PLLC / Roanoke
Jennifer L. Fuschetti, Garriott Maurer, PLLC / Virginia Beach
Sarah J. Knapp, ShounBach / Fairfax
Andrew T. Richmond, Mahoney Richmond Thurston, PLLC / Virginia Beach

Exhibitors