DC and MD Matrimonial Lawyer Focusing on Custody, Divorce and Prenups
For over 20 years, Regina A. DeMeo has been helping families in MD and DC with custody and divorce issues either through mediation, litigation or advocacy. She is an alumna of Georgetown University and GW University Law School, who is nationally recognized as a top matrimonial attorney. She is frequently quoted in the media for her ideas to promote healthier relationships and featured in the Washington Post, ABA Journal and Bethesda Magazine for her care and commitment to her clients. As a legal commentator, she has appeared on Washington Post Express Facebook Live, ABC tv, Good Morning America, MMCTV, YouTube and Sirius XM, and has been quoted in various magazines, books and journals across the country.
Regina offers appointments in Maryland and DC. Her areas of practice include:
Latest Blog Posts by GenXSmartie
Is The Honeymoon Over?
Most love stories start the same way-- you meet someone you find interesting, you have fun with one another, and you fall in love as each person does kind things for the other one. You both show one another respect and build trust together. You share similar interests and engage in fun activities together. Everyone is on their best behavior as you meet each other's families and friends. You find it easy to talk, and you have no doubt that this person cares about you. You work as a team and make each other feel like a priority. This creates a high that doctors say is similar to a cocaine high, seriously. And during this drug-induced high is when most of us naively commit to marry "for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death." But sooner or later, the honeymoon phase comes to an end, and real life hits. Maybe it is the birth of a child, or a family death, a health scare, financial crisis, abrupt career change, or a perfect storm of multiple factors that are all triggered at the same time, and all of the sudden you see a side to your partner that you never saw before. Now 50% of married couples may well be able to work through this, but meanwhile the [...]
Did Your Ex Break Your Heart Or Your Wallet?
Broken hearts are easy to fix-- it may take time to heal, but with the support of family and friends, you will get there. This is not only my personal experience, but what I have professionally observed for over 18 years with all of my divorce clients. However, if your ex broke your wallet, well that is a lot more difficult to recover from unfortunately, especially the closer you are to retirement. Most couples have a house, their 401(k)s and some investments to split up when they are getting divorced. Usually, we can agree on a buy out, or reasonable time-frame for selling the home, and then we just do some basic trade-offs with the other assets taking into account the contributions each made to the family's well-being and acquisition of assets. This actually runs pretty smoothly in over 65% of the cases with reasonable attorneys and cooperative clients. But, then there are those with angry clients or "shark" type attorneys that go for scorched earth. These do not end well for anyone, let me explain why. Divorces that are fueled by anger and/or a desire for vengeance lead to very expensive court cases that involve discovery, including depositions, and retaining various experts to prove a variety of points. Clients (not the law firms) must finance these expenses either by [...]
Trump’s Immigration Proposals Hits Home in D.C.
President Donald Trump has promised a new immigration and travel ban executive order that the White House said should withstand the challenges the first ban could not. That the president has persisted in his stand on immigration has continued to cause anxiety for many undocumented — but productive — aliens. The owners of Ben’s Chili Bowl joined thousands of businesses nationwide on Feb. 16 to support the “Day Without Immigrants” demonstration in protest of the Trump administration’s stance on immigration. While some businesses closed, the owners of the landmark northwest D.C. eatery opened its doors for visitors to enjoy its classic dishes such as the “chili half-smoke.” “We are all immigrants,” said the Alis’ daughter-in-law, Vida Ali. “A day without immigrants is a day without Ben’s Chili Bowl.” Trump’s proposed ban has left those such as Regina DeMeo, a guest-teacher at George Washington University and Georgetown Law School, in a bind, seeking answers for those who’ve had difficulty securing citizenship. “Both my parents are immigrants,” DeMeo said. “My mother is from Ecuador and my dad is from Spain. They both came here over 50 years ago, and I was born here 44 years ago. “My parents were never together, and my mother worked hard for many years as a bookkeeper, sometimes working two jobs to make ends meet, while [...]
Are Your Kids’ Clothes Disappearing Into a Black Hole?
I know for some of you this is going to sound petty, but for a bunch of you single parents it may come as a bit of comedic relief to read this and realize you are not alone. Divorced parents fight about clothes a lot-- it just never gets to the point that anyone raises this issue to a judge, mainly because let's face it the price of going to court could buy your child's clothes for about a decade. So, what are you supposed to do when you buy your child nice things and never see them again because they have disappeared into the black hole that apparently exists at your ex's house? Well, for one you should call that person out on it. When I see that a week's worth of jeans that fit have been replaced at my house with a week's worth of jeans that are too small, I call my ex out on that bullshit. Same goes for socks, underwear and t-shirts that are two sizes too small. Does it sound trivial? Not when you calculate that a week's worth of clothes may be about $425. When you share custody, it generally means that you should share the responsibility for buying clothes for your kids at your respective places. Shifting that burden onto your [...]