A Northern Virginia divorce is filed in the circuit court of the county or independent city where the spouses last lived together, 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 becomes 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 represented Northern Virginia families for more than thirty years from his office in Fairfax, and he handles every case personally.
Northern Virginia is not one legal market. It is five separate jurisdictions, each with its own circuit court, its own docket and its own local practice. Which court hears your case affects scheduling, how quickly you can obtain temporary relief, and sometimes the practical outcome. This page explains where each case belongs and what to expect in each.
The five jurisdictions we serve
Each area below has its own page with the courthouse, the communities served, and answers to the questions that come up most often in that jurisdiction.
- Fairfax County — Fairfax Circuit Court, 4110 Chain Bridge Road. Serving Fairfax, Vienna, McLean, Reston, Herndon and Burke.
- Loudoun County — Loudoun Circuit Court, 18 East Market Street, Leesburg. Serving Leesburg, Ashburn, Sterling and Brambleton.
- Prince William County — Prince William Circuit Court, 9311 Lee Avenue, Manassas. Serving Woodbridge, Manassas, Gainesville and Bristow.
- Arlington County — Arlington Circuit Court, 1425 North Courthouse Road. Serving Rosslyn, Clarendon, Ballston and Pentagon City.
- City of Alexandria — Alexandria Circuit Court, 520 King Street. Serving Old Town, Del Ray, Rosemont and Potomac Yard.
For family law matters in Fairfax that do not involve a divorce — custody, support, and modifications of existing orders — see our Fairfax family law attorney page.
Which court will hear your case
Venue in a Virginia divorce generally follows where the parties last cohabited, or where the defendant resides. Two points catch people out.
First, Alexandria is an independent city, not part of Fairfax County. It has its own circuit court. So does Arlington. A case that belongs in Alexandria cannot be filed in Fairfax because Fairfax is closer or busier.
Second, the courthouse is not always in the town you live in. Prince William County residents in Woodbridge file in Manassas. Loudoun County residents in Ashburn or Brambleton file in Leesburg. This surprises people when they are first scheduled for a hearing.
The two timelines that govern every Virginia divorce
Almost every question about how long a divorce takes comes back to two statutory periods.
Residency: six months. One spouse must have been an actual bona fide resident and domiciliary of Virginia for at least six months before the suit is filed. Being stationed in Virginia, or working here while living elsewhere, is not automatically the same as being domiciled here — a distinction that matters for the region's large military and federal population.
Separation: one year, or six months. The no-fault ground requires living separate and apart without cohabitation and without interruption for one year. That drops to six months where the parties have signed a separation agreement and there are no minor children of the marriage. Fault grounds such as adultery, cruelty, desertion, or a felony conviction with imprisonment of more than a year operate differently, but each must be proven and each carries strategic consequences.
Neither period can be shortened by agreement between the spouses. What agreement can do is halve the separation requirement in a childless marriage, and shorten everything that comes after it.
What we handle across Northern Virginia
- Divorce — uncontested and contested
- High-asset divorce — business interests, equity compensation, pensions
- Child custody and visitation
- Child support
- Spousal support and alimony
- Property division and equitable distribution
- Prenuptial agreements
- Custody and support modification
- Family law mediation
- Annulment
Equitable distribution does not mean equal
This is the single most common misunderstanding among Northern Virginia clients. Virginia is an equitable distribution state. The court classifies property as marital, separate, or part-marital and part-separate, values it, and then divides the marital share in whatever proportion it considers equitable after weighing statutory factors — including the duration of the marriage and each spouse's monetary and non-monetary contributions.
In practice that means a fifty-fifty split is a common outcome but never an entitlement. It also means classification is where cases are won and lost. A house owned before the marriage, an inheritance, a business started pre-marriage, or a retirement account with both pre- and post-marital contributions all require tracing, and tracing depends on records. Whether documents from ten or twenty years ago still exist frequently matters more than any argument made at trial.
One attorney, no hand-offs
Randall J. Borden is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, admitted in Virginia and Maryland, and has practiced from his Fairfax office at 10627 Jones Street since 1995. He handles every case himself. There is no associate who inherits your file after the consultation and no paralegal running your matter, which for a family law case means the person who knows your history is the person standing up in court.
Questions we are asked across the region
Which Northern Virginia court will hear my divorce?
Generally the circuit court for the county or independent city where you and your spouse last lived together, or where your spouse now resides. Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Alexandria each have their own circuit court.
Can I file in Virginia if my spouse lives in Maryland or the District?
Often yes, provided one of you meets Virginia's six-month residency and domicile requirement. Your spouse's residence elsewhere does not by itself prevent a Virginia filing, though it can affect service and the scope of what the court can decide. Attorney Borden is admitted in both Virginia and Maryland.
Do I have to wait a year?
One year of separation is the default no-fault period. It drops to six months if you sign a separation agreement and have no minor children. Fault grounds follow different rules but must be proven.
Is mediation a realistic alternative?
For many couples, yes. Mediation works where both spouses will disclose finances honestly and want to control the outcome rather than hand it to a judge. It is the wrong tool where assets are being concealed or where there is a history of abuse, and we will say so directly.
What does a divorce cost in Northern Virginia?
Cost tracks conflict, not filing fees. An uncontested divorce with agreed terms is dramatically cheaper than a contested case with discovery, depositions and expert valuation. The fastest way to reduce cost is to narrow what is genuinely in dispute.
Can an existing order be changed?
Yes. Virginia permits modification of custody and support on a material change in circumstances. Property division in a final decree is generally not modifiable, which is why getting it right the first time matters.
Speak with a Northern Virginia divorce attorney
Call 703-385-8722 or contact the office to arrange a consultation. The office is at 10627 Jones Street, Suite 201A, Fairfax, VA 22030, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.