Category Archives: Family Law
How Does Divorce Mediation Work In Maryland?
Divorces are traditionally depicted as battles waged between soon-to-be former spouses who are not getting along. While this often remains true, more couples are choosing mediation over litigation to dissolve their marriages. Mediation is considered a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in which the spouses come together to hammer out key issues related… Read More »
Maryland Does Away With Limited Divorce, Establishes Grounds For Absolute Divorce
Prior to October 2023, Maryland permitted two types of divorce: limited and absolute. An absolute divorce permanently ends a marriage. It terminates property claims and permits the parties to remarry. A limited divorce, on the other hand, did not permanently end the marriage. It was akin to legal separation. The parties could negotiate matters… Read More »
How Is Child Support Calculated In Maryland Based On Income?
Maryland’s Child Support Administration reviews the child support guidelines once every 4 years to ensure the amount of child support paid keeps up with the standard of living in the state. The Child Support Administration conducts research and reports its findings to the General Assembly. The last time this happened was during the 2020… Read More »
Study Correlates Risk Of Divorce To Spending A Lot Of Money On Your Wedding
Did you spend a lot of money on your wedding or did you keep things practical and scale back moneywise? A recent study indicates that couples who went all out with spending on their weddings have a greater risk of divorcing later in life than couples who kept it practical. The results of the… Read More »
How Are Pets Treated In A Maryland Divorce?
Washington D.C. recently passed a law allowing family court judges to consider “the best interests of the pet” when adjudicating a divorce case. This is the same standard that is used for children in all states across the country. While D.C. is in the minority, there is a growing trend across the U.S. to… Read More »
The Best Interests Of The Child Standard Under Maryland Law
Many years ago, the courts would often favor mothers in child custody hearings under the belief that children needed their mothers more than their fathers as they were growing up. The law in all 50 states has evolved from that standard and now employs another: the best interests of the children. In many states,… Read More »
The Intentional Dissipation Of Marital Assets As A Factor In A Maryland Divorce
In some cases, a spouse can be accused of intentionally dissipating marital assets or, in other words, spending money from the marital estate on things that are intentionally wasteful. When this happens, the court can consider the intentional dissipation of marital assets when dividing assets or awarding alimony. If you believe your spouse has… Read More »
How Are Property And Debts Divided During A Maryland Divorce?
One of the key aspects of a Maryland divorce is the division of property and debts that were acquired during the marriage. Maryland is considered an equitable distribution state which means that property is divided between the spouses in a manner that is considered equitable to both parties. That does not necessarily mean that… Read More »
Does Maryland Require Mediation In Divorce?
There are several ways to dissolve a marriage in the state of Maryland. Traditionally, parties litigated their divorces in an adversarial format in which they made arguments before a judge. The judge would render final decisions on key issues such as property division, alimony, child custody, and child support. Today, a backlog of divorce… Read More »
Will I Receive Alimony In My Maryland Divorce?
When a couple has been married for a long time, it’s not uncommon for one spouse to make monthly payments to the other to help support them after the divorce is finalized. Alimony is one aspect of divorce that either gets settled during mediation or through litigation. The courts will weigh several factors when… Read More »
