Navigating your family's legal matters with excellence, integrity, and compassion.
Welcome to Clay Law—where experience meets understanding.
With over 30 years of legal practice and a lifetime of personal experience, I am here to help you navigate your family’s most important legal matters with warmth, skill, and compassion. Whether you’re facing guardianship or conservatorship decisions, child support, custody, visitation, grandparents’ rights, child welfare issues, or an uncontested or no fault divorce, you can trust that you’re in capable hands.
I know firsthand how overwhelming these challenges can feel. As a single mom, divorcee, and caregiver, I’ve stood where you stand—balancing work, children, and elder care all at once. Those experiences have shaped my approach: I listen without judgment, offer practical guidance, and advocate fiercely for your best interests. My goal is to manage your legal matters with excellence and integrity, so you can focus on what matters most—your life and your family.
If you need to appeal an order from Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to Circuit Court, I can handle the appeal process and represent you every step of the way.
I proudly serve clients throughout the Greater Richmond area—including Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, and Prince George—and represent clients across Virginia in no fault and uncontested divorces.
Let’s work together to find solutions that fit your needs. Call 804.238.7737 to schedule your consultation. You don’t have to face this alone.
How We Can Help You
-
Guardianship
Are you worried because your special needs child is now an adult and schools and doctors won’t talk to you? Are you afraid that you can’t protect your child from exploitation and that you won’t be able to get them the care that they need? Legal guardianship is your solution.
Do you have a parent, sibling or friend whose dementia or mental health challenges are getting worse? Are you seeing your loved one forget or refuse to take medication, spend money recklessly or become combative with family, doctors or even delivery people?
If your situation is similar to either of those described above, you probably feel overwhelmed. You want to step in and help, but you don’t know what to do or where to begin. You need help before things get worse.
-
Child Custody
Have you ended or are you about to end a relationship with a spouse or partner? Are you worried about where your children will live and who will care for them?
Is your contact with your children being limited or denied? Did custody with the other parent seem like a good idea a few years ago, but now things have changed? Maybe you are now settled and in a better position to care for your children or maybe the other parent is no longer providing the children with a stable and nurturing environment.
If you have a custody case pending, think you will have a custody case or are thinking about modifying a custody order, Connie is available to help you go from confusion to clarity.
-
Visitation
Are you unable to see your children more than a few hours a month? Is the other parent saying the children are “busy” when you ask to see them? Has the other parent refused to agree to a set visitation schedule?
Or are you in a situation where you need to limit the other parent’s contact with your children. Are you concerned about what happens when the children are at the other parent’s home? Are you uncomfortable with how a step parent has disciplined your children?
-
Child Support
Have you received a notice about child support payments? Are they saying that you are behind on your child support? Are they threatening to ask the judge to put you in jail or to suspend your driver’s license? Are you nervous about going to court by yourself?
If you are facing a child support matter, you need a trusted advisor who will make sure that you have received credit for all payments that you’ve made. You also need someone who will independently calculate child support guidelines to make sure that you are paying the correct amount of child support.
-
Child Welfare, Dependency & Termination of Parental Rights
If CPS (Child Protective Services) has contacted you or if you have a case with them, you are probably anxious, angry and worried about your children.
Whether CPS has interviewed your children or has removed your children from your care, you are entitled to have an attorney represent you.
You don’t have to face the child welfare agency alone. You need the advice and support of someone who knows the system from the inside out. That someone is Connie Clay.
-
Appeals from Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court to Circuit Court
Child support, child custody, visitation and child welfare cares are usually heard in Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. If a parent is not satisfied with the rulings in Juvenile Court, the parent usually has a right to an appeal to the circuit court.
Connie is well prepared to represent parents who want to appeal a judgement from Juvenile Court to Circuit Court.
-
Uncontested & No Fault Divorce
If your marriage is over and you and your spouse have agreed on most of the details, you can probably proceed with a simple, “no fault” divorce . If you have been separated for more than one year, an uncontested, no-fault divorce could be an option. If you have a separation agreement and no children together, the separation period is reduced from one year to 6 months. Click to learn more.
-
Consultation
Connie is happy to meet with prospective clients for a consultation either by telephone or video conference. Once you schedule a consultation, Connie will ask you to complete a short form and send her any court papers or agreements related to your case. Connie will review your form and your documents prior to your appointment. During your consultation, Connie will ask you questions, answer your questions and give you advice about your legal problem. If additional legal work and analysis are required, Connie will quote you a fee for legal services. Connie will send you a follow up email outlining what was discussed and the steps that you need to take.
The initial consultation fee is $150.00
Intake specialists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to schedule your consultation. Call 804.238.7737 to schedule your personalized consultation.
-
I Need Something Else
If you have a legal problem that doesn’t fit neatly into any of these categories, Connie still wants to help you. If she can’t represent you, she is happy to refer you to a colleague or to a lawyer referral service.
-
Payments Accepted
Clay Law accepts debit cards, all major credit cards and electronic checks.
We’re proud to partner with Affirm. Now you can pay at your own pace and never pay a single hidden fee.
Payment options through Affirm are subject to an eligibility check and are provided by these lending partners:
Connie Clay’s Reputation
Get the help that you need today.