In high-conflict family law cases, the stakes are high on all sides. Attorney Jessica Leischner explains, “high-conflict family law cases typically involve allegations of sexual or domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, substance abuse or mental health issues. If you are facing any of those allegations in court, losing your case could result in losing custody of your children, having protective orders issued against you and losing possession of your house.”
On the other hand, Leischner says the stakes are also extremely high for a person alleging a case of domestic violence or child abuse, for example. “Really you’re risking your safety and your children’s safety. Plus, what we’re seeing more and more in the courts are instances where claims are brought and if the judge finds the allegations to be false, his or her reaction is typically to remove the children from the person who has made what the judge believes to be a false allegation,” Leischner explains.
If you’re dealing with a high-conflict family law situation, it’s critical that you consult a highly experienced attorney who specializes in the area. Leischner says, “I have seen clients time and time again in these situations who started out, made a lot of mistakes and got themselves in a really tough spot because they either didn’t have an attorney, or they had an attorney who didn’t know how to navigate the complex issues of the court system, child protective services, how to involve the police, when to involve the police and more. If you go about these difficult cases wrong, the consequences can be very severe.”
About the Author
Jessica L. Leischner
Jessica L. Leischner is partner with Friedman, Grimes, Meinken & Leischner PLLC. As an accomplished family law attorney, litigator and mediator serving Northern Virginia, Ms. Leischner represents clients in Fairfax County, Alexandria City, Arlington County, Loudoun County, Stafford County, and Prince William County. Ms. Leischner’s practice is exclusively in the area of family law, including divorce, child custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, equitable distribution, settlement agreements, property rights, post-divorce disputes and other family law matters.
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