Answers · Strategy · Fierce Advocacy
Proudly Serving Greater Richmond, the Tri-Cities & Surrounding Communities.
30+ Years Experience · Licensed by the Virginia State Bar
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM · 804.238.7737
Welcome to Clay Law
With over 30 years of experience practicing law and significant lived experience, I help individuals and families navigate their most important legal matters — including guardianship, custody, CPS cases, support, visitation, grandparents' rights, uncontested divorce, and more — with excellence, integrity, and compassion. As someone who has been a single mom, divorcee, caregiver, legal guardian, and conservator, I've stood where you stand. I bring fierce advocacy and practical guidance to every case.
I proudly serve clients throughout Greater Richmond, including Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield, and the Tri-Cities region, including Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Hopewell, plus surrounding communities like Dinwiddie. I represent clients statewide in uncontested and no-fault divorces. Call 804.238.7737 to schedule your consultation. Let's talk about what's next.
Meet Connie Clay →Practice Areas
Whether you are establishing custody for the first time or asking the court to change an order that no longer works, the decisions made now shape your daily life with your children for years. I help parents build a clear, evidence-based case for the arrangement that actually serves their children.
Is your special needs child turning 18 soon, or already an adult, with no one holding legal authority to make decisions for your child? Virginia allows you to file for guardianship as early as age 17. The same process can also protect an aging parent or loved one whose memory or mental health is declining.
If CPS (Child Protective Services) has contacted you or you already have an open case, you're probably anxious, angry, and worried about your children. With nearly 20 years of experience, including time representing Florida's child welfare agency in court, both early in my career and recently, I know how these cases are built and how to take them apart.
Support should reflect what your children actually need and what each parent can actually pay. I help clients establish, modify, and enforce support orders, and untangle the income, childcare, and health-insurance details that so often get calculated incorrectly.
Are you not allowed to see your children for more than a few hours a month? Does the other parent say 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 to keep your children safe?
Are conflicts about time with your grandchildren tearing your family apart? Has a parent limited or cut off your relationship with them entirely? Virginia's grandparent visitation laws are narrow, but you may still have a legal path to maintain contact with your grands. I can help you understand where you stand.
When safety is on the line, timing matters. I represent clients seeking protective orders and clients defending against them, and I make sure the court hears an accurate, well-documented account of what has actually been happening.
Disagree with a ruling on custody, support, visitation, or a CPS case from Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court? You may have the right to appeal to Circuit Court, but strict deadlines apply. I've successfully represented clients in circuit court appeals and can help you understand whether an appeal is the right move for you.
How It Works
Schedule a consultation to review your situation and map out a clear path forward. You get my full attention and 30+ years of experience directly — not an assistant gathering information on my behalf.
Clay Law accepts debit cards, all major credit cards, and electronic checks. Payment plans are available through Affirm, subject to an eligibility check.
Don't see your legal issue listed? Reach out anyway. If I can help, I'll tell you how. If your matter is outside what I handle, I'll point you toward someone who can.
Why Clay Law?
30+ years' experience practicing law, including owning a private practice in Florida that handled guardianship, custody, CPS cases, child support, divorce, and visitation, plus other legal roles along the way. Today, that expertise is focused solely on helping individuals and families through their toughest legal challenges.
Calm, collaborative, and firm — all at once, for every client in every case. I tell you what's best for you, not what's easiest or most profitable for me. If your legal problem can be solved with a 30-minute consultation, I will offer you a solution on the spot. If I think you have a weak case, I will tell you that.
You're treated like a person, not a case number. Having been a family law client myself, and having managed work, parenting, and caregiving simultaneously while serving as a guardian and conservator, I understand the emotional and financial load you're carrying.
Testimonials
Words from clients I've helped through some of life's hardest moments.
Thank you so very much for your kind words, support and guidance during this journey. I sincerely appreciate you being part of my team. S, my mother, family and I all thank you.
Thank you so much for all of your hard work and expertise in this matter. It has been a pleasure working with you.
Miss Clay, I am very grateful for your hard work with my case, and yesterday you did so much to help represent my children. I do value and appreciate your hard work. Thank you very much, and I wish you well!
FAQ
My consultation fee is $175. I don't offer free consultations. When we meet, you have my full attention and 30+ years of experience directly, not an assistant gathering information on my behalf. Most Richmond-area attorneys charge between $100 and $500 for a consultation; I keep mine on the lower end to stay accessible.
It depends on several factors. Most family law cases settle, but getting there often involves discovery (exchanging information about the case), a GAL — guardian ad litem — investigation, one or two settlement conferences, and last-minute negotiating before trial. Most custody cases I've handled in the Richmond area took about 6 months from filing to final order.
You can file as early as age 17, before your child turns 18, so there's no gap in legal authority once your child becomes an adult. I've written a full guide to this process if you'd like to see the timeline in detail. Read the guardianship timeline guide
Get legal advice immediately. What you say and do in the early stages of a CPS case can significantly affect the outcome. I've spent nearly 20 years on cases like these, including time representing Florida's child welfare agency, so I know what they're building and how to respond. Read my full guide for parents facing a CPS investigation
You can represent yourself, but the judge holds you to the same rules of evidence and procedure as a licensed attorney. Mistakes here can mean an unfavorable custody or support order that's hard to undo later. I regularly represent clients who tried to handle their case alone, ran into serious problems, and came to me afterward to help fix what went wrong. Read more about what to consider before representing yourself
Insights
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM. Serving Greater Richmond, the Tri-Cities & Surrounding Communities.
Get in Touch
Tell me a little about your situation. I'll respond within 1–2 business days.
Whether you're in the middle of a custody dispute, worried about a parent who can no longer make decisions, received a call from CPS, or trying to understand your options in a legal matter, I offer a consultation to review your situation and map out a clear path forward; see the FAQ above for pricing. There's no pressure to hire me.
Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm. Serving Greater Richmond, the Tri-Cities & Surrounding Communities.
Clay Law accepts debit cards, all major credit cards, and electronic checks. Payment plans are available through Affirm, subject to an eligibility check.