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
Separate the Movie-Version from Reality
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me my life should be made into a movie, I would be really rich right now. It is the classic story line: poor girl from a broken home proves she has potential both in athletics and academic life; she gets a scholarship that completely changes her life; amazing work and travel experiences follow, but nothing seems to fill this void that she feels until she finally goes on a very personal journey to find her father and extended family. Sounds like a perfect recipe for a G-rated Disney movie, and yet real life is so far from picture perfect.In our minds, we all tend to have a movie we are working on, but the reality is that the other characters in our real life may not be reading from the same script. If you find yourself routinely disappointed by others, you need to separate out that movie version of things from what life is really like-- the only one you can control in life is yourself, not those around you. People don't have mind-reading abilities and may not know what it is that we want from them, so unless we clearly communicate our needs and expectations to those with the actual ability to help us fulfill these desires, we are [...]
Getting Rid of Self Doubt Post-Divorce
A common problem among divorced people is that we are plagued by self doubt. If we could screw up so royally on something so important, how can we ever really trust our own judgment? I've been grappling with this for years, and in my very nerdy way, went on to research some of the best regarded books about relationships from those considered to be gurus in this field. I can now easily recite all their theories, but applying them, well that is a whole other story...Identifying and conquering our deep-seeded fears are not easy. I thought once this happened, the doubts would all subside. Little did I realize that as a self-defense mechanism, I've been laying land mines all over the place- designed to detonate before anyone came close to my most sensative wounds. As the land mines started going off, I was forced to face my biggest challenge yet-- I still have not forgiven myself for all those perceived failures that I've been carrying around like stones that weigh me down.Someone recently gave me the book "12 Steps of Forgiveness," and it suggests that sometimes these grudges we hold fall away like stones, one by one; other times, they can all come crashing down at once. I guess in this case, the path to forgiving myself has gone at [...]
Getting Second Opinions
Why is it that in the financial world and medical field second opinions are so common, and yet when it comes to legal issues people are so reluctant to have someone do an outside independant assessment of the situation until sometimes it is too late? Too often I see people hire a general practice attorney to work on their divorce matter, and then I am brought in almost at the end to try and fix things. I have no doubt that if these people were dealing with doctors or financial advisors and lost confidence in these professionals, they would have sought out another professional sooner, and I wish more people would do the same when it comes to their divorce matters. Consults are rather inexpensive-- and fast. They usually take an hour, with the client describing the situation in about 30 minutes; then the attorney explaining the law and options in the remaining 30 minutes. One-time consults can be used to review documents, like prenups or Separation Agreements, before they are signed. We can flag issues, offer suggestions and strategy, and often times prevent major mistakes from occuring-- like waivers of certain rights that may not be undone once a contract is finalized. There is a lot of information available online these days, and I am all for people saving [...]
Meeting the Parents
The first time I met someone's parents, I was 16 and super nervous. In boarding school, we could go months without meeting someone's parents, even though we might have been eating breakfast, lunch and dinner every day together at the dining hall for months. I know that is not normal in high school, but this is in fact what can happen as you get older. Meeting anyone's parents as an adult should be a piece of cake-- precisely because as an adult you should be confident in yourself, your accomplishments, and where you are heading. There is nothing to be nervous about, especially because your partner should not really be seeking their approval at this point. The funny thing about meeting someone's parents is that you think you have spent a lot of time getting to know this person, but those people created that person. They have known him/her since day one-- and they usually know the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a lot of history there, and no matter how how much time you have spent with your significant other, these people normally have you beat by decades-- so pay attention. Listen to what parents brag about. Watch how your partner interacts with his/her parents. Are they all comfortable and relaxed, or tense and awkward? The relationships [...]