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
Holiday Engagements & Prenups
With just 31 days left to wrap up this year, we are in full holiday mode now, which goes hand-in-hand with a spike in engagement announcements as almost one-third of all engagements happen during the holiday season. Those couples looking to tie the knot in 2023 will quickly need to work on their budget, which will largely be driven by their guest list and venue selection, along with the fees for other key vendors including a florist, photographer, the entertainment and caterer. Negotiating the various contracts with all the service providers while also navigating family dynamics over the next few months will undoubtedly be difficult and emotional for those recently engaged. Consider investing in some pre-marital counseling sessions as you prepare for this monumental life event, especially if you have concerns about your ability to manage conflict and communicate respectfully and effectively. This would also be a good time to discuss the benefits of a prenuptial agreement with an experienced matrimonial attorney and perhaps set up a meeting with a financial advisor to ensure you are on the same page about the financial implications of your merger. Over the past two decades, prenuptial agreements have become quite common especially as we've come to accept the reality that about half of all marriages will not last. To me, a prenup [...]
4 Easy Tips for Divorced Parents During the Holidays
Divorced parents have a tendency to feel guilty that because they couldn’t work things out with their former partners, their children must now shuffle back and forth between two homes. Especially during the holidays, this guilt seems to kick into overdrive for some, along with regret that certain traditions will no longer continue. But let’s think about– would they be better off in a house full of tension or devoid of love? And is shuttling between two homes really that bad compared to the alternative of only having one primary parent and limited visits with the other when they have two equally loving and fit parents? 1. Chin Up It is hard for parents to not see their kids every night, or on every holiday– and I am actually saying that from personal experience over the past decade, but if you can put your child’s needs before your own, then you can appreciate that for your children it is important that you don’t make them feel bad when they go spend time with the other parent and extended family. Embrace this opportunity to start some new traditions and make sure you have your own plans while you encourage the kids to have fun wherever it is they will be spending the holidays. 2. Get Your Ex a Gift Until your child [...]
This Thanksgiving, What Are You Most Grateful For?
This month, as we celebrate Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and then Giving Tuesday, I hope we can find some time to reflect on the things we are most grateful for and express gratitude to all those that matter to us. As we now enter into our third round of holidays with COVID, although life may have returned to "normal" for some, there are many that are still struggling to recover from drastic changes to their lives either financially, socially or physically as a result of this prolonged pandemic coupled with historic inflation and global uncertainty. In past years, this would be the time where I would start to stress about holiday plans, parties, cards and gifts, however, in recent years I've learned to just streamline and simplify. November has become my month of gratitude, starting with Veteran's Day, which has taken on a whole new meaning this year with a partner, who is veteran that lost several friends during his years in service. The sacrifices our troops and their families make are far more profound than what most of us civilians can begin to imagine, and meanwhile most of the services available to assist veterans as they transition to civilian life are severely lacking as evidenced by their suicide rate, which is double the rate of non-veteran adults. There's so [...]
Are You On The Fence About The Holidays?
The holidays are right around the corner, and by this point it should be clear whether you are excited to get together with loved ones or dreading it. If it is the latter, don't ignore the signs of distress and your procrastination to make plans or buy gifts, this will only make the situation worse. Instead, try to be honest (at the very least with yourself) and figure out either a coping strategy or an exit plan. If you are not sure whether your relationship will last beyond 2022, this is the perfect time to start gathering some information and weighing your options. Do you need to break a lease or list a home for sale? What is the best way to safely and gracefully extricate yourself from your current situation? Perhaps you should seek the advice of a divorce coach or attorney, and definitely get some feedback from your financial advisor to avoid committing financial suicide. For over 20 years, I have helped my divorce clients develop a plan to get through the holidays, whether it's one last time together or first time around flying solo. We all need help in those first years breaking with past traditions and/or creating new ones, and the reality is that there is no one formula to follow to get it right. [...]