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
How To Reframe A Difficult Mother’s Day
Twenty five years ago I graduated from George Washington University Law School on Mother's Day weekend, and soon thereafter I immersed myself in the practice of family law in our nation's capital. Although the first five years were relatively straight forward, the past two decades have definitely been hard juggling a challenging career and motherhood. A year after opening my own law firm, I got divorced, which made the decision to remain self-employed as a single mother a whole lot scarier, yet somehow I persevered hoping to set a positive example for my son, who was a huge source of inspiration for me especially during COVID when we became so isolated from colleagues, family and friends. Last year, my son launched, and unfortunately his life choices have caused a huge rift within my family, particularly my own mother, who has once again stopped talking to me because somehow I have failed to meet her expectations. What's lost on her is that after law school I stopped letting her guilt trips get to me, and the past 20 years as a mother I have learned the beauty of giving unconditional love, which I never got from her. Some parents model for us the behavior we want to pass on to our children, while others model for us what we don't [...]
5 Tips For Managing A Domestic Partnership
Although fewer people may be walking down the aisle these days, there are still plenty of couples that cohabitate together, sometimes as a test-run prior to getting married, but not necessarily. Over the past two decades, I have learned as a matrimonial attorney not to make any assumptions, however, if you want to successfully navigate shacking up together here are some tough discussions you need to have before moving in together: What is an equitable division of household expenses? First you need to establish a realistic housing budget and agree on what counts as joint expenses, which typically include housing, food, and shared travel and entertainment. Then, if you don't earn the same, it probably isn't fair to split everything evenly. However, if someone is paying off significant debt either from a student loan or prior obligations (such as alimony or child support) then maybe using a pro rata share of net income is more appropriate than focusing on just gross income numbers. How will you manage your finances? Most modern couples have a joint account for shared expenses, but they maintain separate accounts for their separate expenses, such as clothing, transportation, medical costs, debt or independent travel and entertainment. However, not everybody has a transparent discussion about what those separate expenses look like or how they may impact [...]
Families Are Like Rock Bands, They Break Up
In just a few months I will be celebrating 25 years as a family lawyer in our nation's capital. That means half my life I've been helping to restructure hundreds of families tackling major issues related to their finances and children, as well as the redistribution of responsibilities and resources. Meanwhile, despite my best efforts, my own family has gone through several painful reorganization endeavors with incredibly mixed results. The fact is after all these years, my conclusion is best summarized in this one line from the new movie, The Jesus Revolution: families are like rock bands, they break up. The most common factors contributing to a falling out among family members are disagreements over (1) money, (2) kids, (3) an individual's poor choices and/or bad behaviors that negatively impacts others, and (4) unmet expectations. These issues are easily exacerbated during trying times by our inability to communicate effectively and respectfully. Family problems never just go away on their own, and unfortunately left unattended tend to slowly erode trust and respect until there is nothing left but deep resentment and contempt. Over the past two decades while navigating motherhood and an intense professional life, I wish I could say my family has always stood by me, but nothing could be farther from the truth. All the plot twists and [...]
Are You Struggling With A Family Estrangement?
According to several recent publications approximately one-third of all families are struggling with some type of estrangement. There are several reasons an estrangement may occur within a family, including when (1) there is significant abuse/neglect by a parent; (2) relatives disapprove of someone's choice in a bride or groom, or the dynamic with in-laws becomes problematic as time progresses; (3) a couple gets divorced and maybe relatives sympathize more with the other spouse; (4) there is conflict over money, especially an inheritance; (5) someone fails to live up to the family's expectations or (6) there is firm disapproval of a person's lifestyle choices. Fault Lines, by Dr. Karl Pillemer is a fantastic book that I recently read, which does an excellent job of providing examples of each such scenario, as well as tips for coping with and/or overcoming this difficult situation. As a family lawyer for over two decades, I have been privy to many stories of family rifts, and I have also witnessed the ripple effect that they tend to have over generations. Sadly, we have experienced this situation many times within my own family, and as a result I have come to accept that sometimes despite our best efforts, some relationships simply cannot be repaired. Unfortunately, we rarely talk about these painful issues and many often just [...]