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
Divorcing in a Bad Economy
When I first started practicing family law over a decade ago, most people had equity in their homes and decent amounts in their retirements/pensions. When there was plenty to divide, splitting up was not so painful, and my job was a lot less complicated. These days, a lot of people are facing short sales or foreclosures because their homes are underwater. Retirement accounts have lost a fair amount of value in the last couple of years, and good pensions are rare. People are unsure about their job security and their future, and as a result, I think fewer people are making the drastic decision to separate and divide into two separate homes. As long as they don't ignore the issues in the marriage, and make an effort to address the problems in the relationship, I think this is a good thing; if they don't the whole arrangement is eventually going to fall apart. When the decision is made to divorce, there is a lot the couple can do to minimize the legal expenses. Here are some real money-saving tips: 1.Avoid litigation-- it is very expensive. Instead, try going to a mediator, where you will only being paying for that one professional's time as opposed to two separate attorneys. If sitting in one room together isn't an appealing option, then one [...]
The Gift of Love and Inner Peace
It has been 3 months since I reconnected with my father, and my half-brother has now had a little over a month to get used to the notion of having me as a big sister. Whenever people ask me how it is all going, I am just beaming with joy as I share the latest updates. The best part is knowing that there is this whole network of people that actually care about me, and want to share their stories with me and hear how things are going here in DC.I sent my brother a care package the other day with some silly things; I created a mini wedding album for my aunt, who seemed sad that she'd missed that day in my life; and I just recreated a baby album covering my son's first 7 years for Father's Day. None of them expected any of these gifts, and that is what I appreciate the most about them all-- they do not expect anything from me, but simply because I am family, they love me, and I whole-heartedly reciprocate the sentiment.As all this is settling in, my son asked me to explain "inner peace" after he heard the term while watching Kung Fu Panda. He actually picked the best time to ask that question, and without hesitation I said, "inner [...]
Keeping Scorecards on Dates
As a joke a while back, someone got me a note pad labeled "Rate-A-Date" where I could keep score for dates based on various categories. I was not particularly fond of the actual categories or the format, but I did like the concept, so I'll admit that over the years I have kept my own scorecard for each person that I've dated, and I recommend that anyone in the dating world should do the same. Whether we openly admit it or not, we all keep some running tally of points someone is earning or losing based on how they act on a date. Of course we all remember the first impression- was this person punctual, appropriately dressed, well-mannered? Then we start to decipher how easy it is to get along with the other-- does the conversation flow easily? Do we share the same sense of humor? Was there any chemistry? In addition to all these questions, I would suggest that it is important to note the level of involvement in coming up with a plan (date, time, activity) and the level of follow through after each date. We all take off points for different things, so I won't even try to come up with a list of pet peeves-- let's just accept that mine would be several pages long. The [...]
4 Key Dating Tips
For those of us that enjoy learning about another person, and like sharing stories, playing 20 questions is just plain fun. For others, I realize this exercise is just plain torture. So perhaps to minimize the pain, I can offer these 4 key tips: 1. Know your own story ahead of time. Try to map out the answers to basic questions about your background, family, work, hobbies/interests, and future goals. Be aware of what you want to share vs. what you would like to keep private. 2. Have your questions ready. What answers will best help you determine if this is someone you are interested in seeing again? 3. Own Your Must-Haves-- Be aware of the top 5 characteristics you are looking for in a partner. 4. Identify Your Deal Breakers-- these are things you cannot negotiate on, which is why we often refer to them as non-negotiables. Learning my own deal breakers took me a long time, and sometimes I cannot decipher right away whether someone has a trait I'm not willing to tolerate. You cannot always tell within the first few dates if someone has a house in complete disarray, suffers from depression or other emotional issues, is an addict, player, or compulsive liar, or maybe is a financial disaster. There are some things that simply can only be [...]