An Alexandria divorce is filed in the Alexandria Circuit Court at 520 King Street, and Virginia requires that one spouse has been an actual bona fide resident and domiciliary of the Commonwealth for at least six months before the suit is filed. A no-fault divorce is available once the spouses have lived separate and apart, without cohabitation and without interruption, for one year — or six months where there is a signed separation agreement and no minor children. Randall J. Borden has practiced Virginia family law for more than thirty years and handles every Alexandria case himself.
One point confuses newcomers more than any other: Alexandria is an independent city, not part of Fairfax County. It has its own circuit court, its own clerk and its own docket. A case that belongs in Alexandria cannot be filed in Fairfax simply because Fairfax is nearby, and the reverse is equally true.
The Alexandria Circuit Court on King Street
Divorce suits for the City of Alexandria are heard in the Alexandria Circuit Court, part of Virginia's 18th Judicial Circuit, at 520 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Custody, visitation and support petitions brought outside a divorce suit are generally heard in the Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Because Alexandria is a single-city circuit, its docket and local practice differ from the much larger Fairfax circuit. Familiarity with how a particular court actually runs is worth more than it sounds when scheduling and temporary relief are at stake.
Neighborhoods we serve across Alexandria
We represent clients throughout the city, including Old Town, Del Ray, Rosemont and Potomac Yard. The property profile varies sharply between them: historic Old Town houses with decades of appreciation and sometimes complicated title history, Del Ray and Rosemont family homes, and newer Potomac Yard construction where equity may be thin relative to the mortgage.
Historic property and long marriages
Alexandria produces more than its share of two situations that demand care.
Property owned before the marriage. An Old Town house bought decades ago, or inherited, is often separate property in origin — but separate property can become partly marital where marital funds paid the mortgage, financed renovations, or where the title was changed during the marriage. Virginia allows tracing, so the outcome frequently turns on whether records still exist. Documents from the 1990s are worth locating early, because they are the difference between a traceable separate claim and a fully marital asset.
Long marriages. Where a marriage has lasted decades, spousal support and pension division carry far more weight than in a short one. Virginia weighs the duration of the marriage and the standard of living established during it among its statutory factors, and a long marriage with one primary earner is the classic case for a substantial award. See spousal support and property division.
What we handle for Alexandria clients
- Divorce, both uncontested and contested
- Property division, including historic and inherited property
- Spousal support after a long marriage
- High-asset divorce and pension division
- Child custody and child support
- Prenuptial agreements
- Custody and support modifications
- Family law mediation
- Annulment
Retirement accounts are often the largest asset
In longer Alexandria marriages the pension or retirement account frequently exceeds the equity in the home, particularly where one spouse spent a career in federal service. Dividing it correctly requires a properly drafted order, and the mechanics differ between a federal pension, a military pension and a private plan.
This is an area where errors surface late and painfully. An order that a plan administrator rejects, or that is silent on survivor benefits, can cost a spouse a great deal years after the divorce is final and after the leverage to fix it is gone. It is worth getting right the first time.
Custody schedules in a compact city
Alexandria's small footprint is an advantage in custody cases and worth using deliberately. Where both parents remain in the city, a genuinely shared schedule is practical in a way it often is not across a large county: the school stays the same, the commute between homes is short, and mid-week transitions do not consume an evening.
Virginia applies no presumption in favor of any particular arrangement. The court works through the statutory best-interests factors, and geography is one of the practical realities it takes into account. A parent who moves to a distant jurisdiction weakens the case for equal time simply because the logistics stop working for the child, and a parent who stays close strengthens it.
Two things are worth settling in writing rather than leaving to habit. The first is which school district governs if one parent later moves, because that dispute is far easier to resolve in advance than in an emergency motion in August. The second is how holidays and school breaks are allocated, in specific dates rather than general principles. Vague schedules produce annual arguments; precise ones do not. If circumstances change later, custody and support modification is available on a material change in circumstances.
Alexandria divorce questions
Is Alexandria part of Fairfax County for divorce purposes?
No. Alexandria is an independent city with its own circuit court at 520 King Street. If your case belongs in Alexandria, it is filed there, not in Fairfax.
I owned my Old Town house before we married. Is it safe?
Not automatically. Property owned before the marriage starts as separate property, but marital funds used for the mortgage or renovations, or a change of title during the marriage, can give it a marital component. Whether your separate interest can be preserved usually depends on whether it can be traced through records.
We were married for thirty years. Will I receive permanent support?
Virginia does not guarantee any particular duration. The court weighs statutory factors including the length of the marriage, the standard of living established during it, and each spouse's earning capacity. A long marriage with one primary earner is the strongest case for a lasting award, but the terms still have to be argued or negotiated.
What happens to my federal pension?
The portion earned during the marriage is generally marital property subject to equitable distribution, with federal rules governing how it is divided and paid. The drafting of the order matters as much as the percentage.
Can we use mediation instead of litigating?
Often, yes. Mediation suits couples who will disclose finances honestly and want to control the outcome. It is not appropriate where assets are concealed or where there has been abuse.
How soon can I file?
You can consult at any time, and you should. But the residency requirement must be met and the separation period generally has to run before a no-fault divorce can be decreed, so early advice is about positioning rather than filing immediately.
One attorney, every stage
Randall J. Borden is a University of Virginia School of Law graduate, admitted in Virginia and Maryland, practicing from his Fairfax office since 1995. Alexandria clients deal with him directly from the first call through the final decree.
Speak with an Alexandria divorce lawyer
Call 703-385-8722 or contact the office. See also our Northern Virginia divorce attorney overview and our pages for Fairfax, Loudoun County, Woodbridge and Arlington.