A: If she's fully competent, then at 20 years old she is entitled to make her own decisions about who she has relationships with. If you have documents that she needs to engage competent medical care, then, yes; she should have those documents. In theory, if she needed them badly enough, she could sue you for possession of the documents (it's called a replevin lawsuit). Withholding documents about her medical care in order to force her to obey you regarding her relationship choices could cause you legal trouble down the road. Not to mention the cost it will have to your personal relationship with her. You're better off in the long run making sure she gets her needed medical care and being there to support her if and when her relationship sours. Trying to hold her documents over her is not a good idea, either from a legal standpoint or a human standpoint. Good luck and I wish you the best.

A: This sounds complicated enough that you need a lawyer to get involved. Do you have a title insurance "owner's policy"? If so, that might get you a free lawyer (I can't tell from the facts you presented whether that will work). Also, you've tagged this question as a Virginia question, but you mention the lien being recorded in Florida. You need an experienced lawyer in the jurisdiction in which the property is located. If the house is in Virginia, you need a Virginia lawyer; if in Florida, you need a Florida lawyer. If it's a lien on Virginia property from a Florida judgment, then you need a Virginia lawyer, because that's where the property is located.

A: Generally speaking, getting your friend "off the title" just needs a deed granting you his interest in the property. A real estate lawyer could prepare such a deed for only a few hundred dollars. But that does not include having a title examination done, and it doesn't include the recordation cost (the deed needs to be recorded in the local land records, and the cost varies).

A: Generally speaking, we charge for all time spent on a file. If I'm away from my desk for your case, then I can't work on other cases. So, yes, a five-minute hearing in court might result in a two-hour bill, because that was two hours dedicated to your case. That's why lawyers like to schedule multiple cases for the same hearing: we can pro-rate the travel and waiting time over multiple cases. Flat fees do not normally get a charge for travel or waiting time, because that time is included in the flat fee. A lot of judges start their hearings by "calling the docket" (bringing up each case one by one) and getting time estimates; then calling the cases beginning with the shortest time estimates. Some judges leave all the cases without lawyers to the end. This results in (A) the people involved in cases without lawyers see how it's done; and (B) the lawyers spend less time sitting around waiting and go back to being productive.