Barry Kantor - Family Attorneys: Virginia Beach VA

Specialty Areas
* DIVORCE
* CRIMINAL & TRAFFIC/DUI
* PERSONAL INJURY

Divorce law in Virginia has become one of the most complex areas of the practice of law. This is true whether or not the divorcing couples have a modest or substantial marital estate. Virginia divorce courts initially deal with the married couple as if their marriage were an economic partnership. The court has the obligation to identify and value marital assets. After the court has accomplished that task, it then sets upon determining an equitable division of the value of those assets between the parties through the application of a number of criteria. A good divorce lawyer is required to have a substantial background in business law if he is to assure his client that each marital asset is properly identified and thereafter properly valued. Succeeding in convincing a court to include an asset as marital or exclude an asset as being the separate property of our client can have enormous financial implications. Likewise, succeeding in convincing a court as to the value of an asset, such as a commercial business or professional practice, can have major financial implications to a divorcing couple.

The determination of whether a dependent spouse is entitled to spousal support has obvious long-term implications on both divorcing spouses. The amount of any support award and its duration will have obvious profound effects on the future of the parties.

The practice of family law goes well beyond the financial horizon. Questions relating to the custody and visitation of children have provoked unfortunate battles of heroic proportion. The ability of members of our firm to foster the settlement of these sensitive issues can ofttimes be of far greater value than our expertise in the trial of custody disputes. Notwithstanding our efforts to attempt to solve our client's problems, both financially and in the area of custody disputes, there is ofttimes little option but to present our client's case to an appropriate court. When this occurs, we are always aggressive and zealous in presenting our client's case.

Fellow - American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

Barry Kantor
Christie, Kantor, Griffin & Smith PC
477 Viking Dr #150
Virginia Beach VA 23452-7354
Tel: 757 499-9222
Fax: 757 499-0587

Barry was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 2, 1933. He began practicing law in 1961 after graduating from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1955 and the University of Virginia Law School in 1961. Barry is currently a member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and has previously served as President of the Virginia Chapter of that organization. He is also a member and Past President of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association and also served as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section, a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section, a past member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Virginia State Bar and the American Bar Association. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1988. He also retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Barry also lectures in the area of Family Law for the Continuing Legal Education programs of the Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.