I have a court date this week with grandmother of my child. I want to hire a lawyer, but need a little more time. Can I request a continuance?

VA Supreme Court Rule 8:14  provides that continuances are only given for good cause and are to be considered an exception not an ordinary occurrence. You can always call ahead and check with the court but unless you get a very straight forward answer you should attend the hearing. The rule I sited is on courts.state.va.us.    I hope this helps.