Currently, the most common grounds for divorce in Howard County, Maryland is 12-month separation. Under Maryland divorce law, parties must live apart and maintain separate residences for at least one year before filing for divorce. As part of this requirement, if the parties spend even one night together or resume marital relations at any point…
There is probably not a more important, or emotionally-charged, issue in separation and divorce than that of child custody. Custody involves not only the amount of time that each parent gets to spend with his or her children; it also encompasses the right to make major, life-shaping decisions for the children. Certainly, this is not…
In recent years, it has become a trend to see frequent child support modification requests filed. Sometimes, these requests truly are driven by a belief that the financial circumstances of one, or both, of the parties have changed. However, the unfortunate truth is that, perhaps even more frequently, the true motivator is ongoing animosity between…
FILING TAXES AFTER DIVORCE OR SEPARATION: WHO GETS TO CLAIM THE KIDS? When two parents are married and file a joint tax return, both claim the children as dependents and both benefit from the exemption. However, when filing taxes after divorce, the former spouses no longer have the option of filing a joint tax return.…
Divorce vs. Mediation – And the Winner is… If you are seeking information regarding the pros and cons of divorce mediation in Maryland, chances are that you’re hoping to end your marriage as quickly and inexpensively as possible. While most people understand the role that a divorce lawyer plays in the divorce process, many…
Under Maryland law, retirement plans are considered marital property while Social Security benefits are considered non-contractual benefits and thus non-marital property. Previously, Social Security benefits could not be distributed or assigned in a divorce proceeding but could be utilized to pay child support and alimony. In Jackson v. Sollie, a trial judge of the Circuit…
The Impact of Rising Health Insurance Costs on Child Support For most people, health insurance is a significant expense. For some people, including many separated/divorced families already struggling to maintain the expenses of two households, health insurance payments can be financially crippling. So, what happens to child support in the event that this large expense becomes even larger?…
We all know the familiar saying that “A House is not a Home”. The structure that we humans live in becomes a “home” when there is family, security and love that exists within the walls. A “home” is where one feels secure and cared for, where it is ok to close the door and shut out the…
Do It Yourself Divorce in Maryland: Short Term Convenience, Long Term Problems? | Howard County, MD Divorce Lawyer Until September 2015, if you wanted to avoid a fault-based divorce in Columbia, MD (adultery, extreme emotional duress, etc), you had to live separately for a full year before you could get an absolute divorce – the…
Divorce marks the end of a chapter in one’s life, as well as the beginning of a new chapter. Outside of the considerations made for children, divorce is essentially about finances and the division of property. Marital property is defined as all of the “stuff”, however titled, that is accumulated during the length of a…