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
Closing the Achievement Gap
A lot of people talk about wanting to close the achievement gap, but few actually put their money where their mouth is. Today I get to meet some of the most generous people in corporate America-- donors that have spent at least $1000/person for the Albert G. Oliver's annual luncheon in New York City, and it is my job to illustrate what a difference their donations can make in a child's life by sharing my story. I was born in Queens to an immigrant single mother, and we grew up with government assistance, including government-issued cheese. I did not know English until I started kindergarten, where I got pulled out for English as a second language. Fortunately, I was able to learn English quickly and flawlessly. By the time I was age 14, I was an honor roll student and nationally recognized rhythmic gymnast. 26 years ago, while minding my own business sitting in Junior High, I was called down to the principal's office, where I was introduced to a representative of the Albert G. Oliver program. After lots of screening interviews, tutoring, tests, and tours of various private schools, I got the gift of a lifetime- the chance to attend Phillips Academy Andover-- free of charge. In the summers, the Oliver Program helped me obtain internships, and they encouraged [...]
Prenup Trends This Spring
There are a flurry of engagements that occur between the holidays and Valentine's Day. Now, as many brides are busy planning their weddings this spring, it is my job to draft a ton of prenuptial agreements. Interestingly enough, I am seeing a very distinct trend where these documents are no longer for the rich and/or famous. Normal, every day people are getting these prenups done mainly to 1) protect their separate interests and 2) minimize any exposure to alimony. Another new trend worth noting is an increasing demand to have future spouses waive any interest in businesses that are in the process of being created-- and I've even seem some Operating Agreements, where the companies are requiring a prenup before they will allow someone to have an intersest in the business. So, more and more I have to come up with some creative solutions while dealing with an ever increasing need to keep the emotions calm. My prenup consults have truly morphed in the last few years to more of a pre-marriage counseling session, where we talk a lot about the benefits and the perils of marriage. I often give people a list of books they should read, including Gottman's Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Dr. Chapman's love language quiz is always well received, and I often recommend a few of the videos from my past [...]
Mind the Gap (between generations)
A funny thing happens when you are a single woman in the age range of 35-45, you get a lot of guys in their 50's that will express an interest in you. And while at first the age difference may not seem that vast (especially if they have taken good care of themselves) you have to keep in mind that these men were brought up during a time where a man's primary job was to be a good provider. They did not graduate from medical or law school with 50% of their peers as women, and they certainly weren't expected to pitch in much with cooking, cleaning, and child-raising responsibilities. Here are 3 areas where you might have a conflict of interest, and although none of these are insurmountable, they do require some recognition the age differences coming into play: 1. Emotional Awareness- Sadly, few if any of the baby boomer men were taught to be emotionally available to their partners-- instead, men were bred to be rocks. Now don't get me wrong-- having a rock is awesome, but if you require a deep emotional connection with your partner, you may need to exercise some patience while breaking down some bad habits (like bottling things up or trying to bury feelings) and instead learning to create a safe place to talk about concerns and feelings [...]
Why Shoot for the Moon?
The saying goes "shoot for the moon-- even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." Some of us, without perhaps having ever heard this saying, just know this instinctively. Throughout life, I've always been willing to give something a shot-- why? Well, maybe when you start off with nothing, there just doesn't seem to be much to lose. 25 years ago, there was a scholarship fund in NY that took a poor little girl out of the hood and sent her to a lily-white community in New England. As the daughter of a single mother, who was an immigrant without a college degree, I did not share much in common with my boarding school peers-- except in the academic arena. Thanks to the generosity of others, I was afforded every opportunity that my classmates were given to achieve, and I made a life-altering choice to make the best play out of the hand that I was dealt. In the last couple of years, we can all see how this social science experiment has worked out-- I've expanded beyond your normal legal career and become an author, lecturer, legal commentator, and local tv host. At 40, I get to share ideas on a level that many would never even dare to dream of, and much to the chagrin of some of my [...]