Debra C. Albiston

Debra C. Albiston is an attorney having over 30 years of experience in handling different types of family law cases. She serves as the Chair of the Family Law Practice Group at the law firm Kaufman & Canoles in its Virginia Beach office.

She routinely advises her clients in cases concerning contested & uncontested divorce, equitable distribution, custody, post-divorce matters, support, as well as pre-marital, marital and separation agreements.

She has a rich experience of arguing before the local circuit courts, juvenile and domestic relations district courts, the Virginia Court of Appeals and Virginia Supreme Court.

The Virginia Business Magazine named her Legal Elite in consecutive years from 2004 to 2015. The association called the Best Lawyers in America granted her the Best Lawyer Award in the year 2016.

Before joining her current law firm in 1995, she practiced with the law firm Weinberg & Stein from 1984 to 1995.

Debra Albiston has obtained the membership of the Family Law Section of American Bar Association, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Virginia Beach Bar Association, Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association, and Virginia State Bar.

She is also a member of the Second District Disciplinary Committee and the Domestic Relations Council of Virginia State Bar. She has served an Executive Committee Member of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association and Virginia State Bar.

She obtained her Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the George Mason University and Juris Doctorate from the College of William & Mary School of Law in 1980 and 1983 respectively.

She passed the bar exam and earned the license to practice law in the state of Virginia in the same year. She has also obtained admission to the Supreme Court of Virginia and the U.S. Eastern District Court of Virginia.

In her Family Law practice, she routinely represents business owners or their spouse in divorce cases that require expertise in business valuations. She also assists military members or their spouses in Family law matters, which requires knowledge of military laws and the division of military pensions.

Attorney Albiston works with couples seeking to protect their assets owned before marriage by preparing and reviewing prenuptial agreements. In handling divorce matters, she has successfully represented both the professional spouse and the spouse who is out of the job market during the marriage.

In contested custody litigation and support matters, she works to protect the rights of mothers, fathers, or grandparents. She has extensive experience in handling multiple cases involving complex issues of tracing separate or marital property. She also indulges in protecting interests commingled during the marriage.