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
Are You A Woman On A Mission?
It is great to be goal-oriented, have a vision, and some sense of direction-- but when you are dating, you need to rein in these qualities just a tad so you don't overlook red flags or push past obstacles that maybe exist for a reason... Fleshing out what you want and what you don't want in a partner are a great first step to dating with a more mindful approach versus just hooking up whenever there is chemistry and riding that out until it ceases to be fun. But another key skill you need to develop is mapping, which is what you do when you play 20 questions to find out where a person has been, where are they now, and where are they going in life? Avoid making assumptions in the dating world-- just because you are looking for a committed relationship does not mean everyone else wants the same, and what that means to one person may not hold true to another. Not everyone wants to play house together, maybe some just want to focus on work during the week and do fun things on the weekends. Also, a lot of us over age 37 no longer want to have more kids or merge bank accounts and other assets. Very few, if any, still want or believe [...]
Is Your Family Ruining Your Marriage?
Sometimes, you know from the beginning that your in-laws are not part of your fan club. But other times, it may not be so obvious that your in-laws present any danger to your relationship because rather than reject you, they actually embrace you and accept you with open arms, except you don't fully understand what that means until you're really part of the family.... Some families only talk once a week and give each other the Arizona Sunshine Report, which means everything is always sunny and pleasant. (This is exactly what I was trained to do in boarding school-- we never told our parents about the sex, drugs, or other alarming events occurring at our high school.) But throughout the years, I have met others that actually tell their parents everything, and much to my surprise I have even encountered grown men that talk to mommy every single day-- maybe not by phone, by even just by text or via Facebook. Maybe if you have a similar pattern, then this would be okay for you, but for someone like me, who wants privacy and space, it's a bit much to stomach. Holidays and vacations can be another hot button topic. If you are used to planning romantic vacations with just the two of you, or if you envision a fun [...]
Why Flexible Thinking is Key to Problem-Solving
Flexible thinkers have a demonstrated ability to see problems from various points of view, and they don't see conflict as a failure, but rather a challenge that requires some creativity in order to find a solution. If you are a flexible thinker, you don't see things as black or white. It's not your way or the highway. You are open to possibilities. You listen with genuine interest. You collaborate well with others and enjoy brainstorming. You share ideas readily, and appreciate feedback. You draw others into your world with diverse backgrounds and expertise. And as you pull all of these things together, you see magic happen. Truly, if you have experienced this you know what I mean. In mediation, one neutral professional meets with both parties to guide them through the process of identifying the issues that need to be addressed and analyzing various options for an amicable resolution. This only works well if both parties are comfortable advocating for themselves, there is no history of domestic violence and there are not any major power imbalances. Within the Collaborative Divorce process, each party has his/her own attorney that will guide the 4-way meetings, where the attorneys work together as a team while assisting their clients to articulate their goals and concerns, discuss the issues that need to be [...]
Do You Think Nothing Ventured Means Nothing Lost?
There are some people that are so afraid of getting hurt that they will not put themselves out there. They don't believe that relationships ever last and therefore remain very guarded. Some might even refer to them as "prickly" like a porcupine. Of course, we all know that those porcupine needles are a defensive mechanism, and what is really going on is that deep down inside there is a very vulnerable child with unhealed wounds. Despite what some might think, those of us willing to expose our vulnerable sides are not stupid, naive or overly optimistic. It is not that we have never been hurt, or that we always see the glass as half full while others see it as half empty. As one of my closest friends aptly pointed out the other day, "the whole point is that the glass is refillable." The difference between those that close themselves off and those that remain open to letting others in is that those in the latter category have managed to process their loss. What you need to remember is the following: 1. You need to grieve the disappointment of a relationship that you thought had potential; 2. It is not about fault. Rather it's important to recognize that each person has a different capacity to love, often [...]