Last fall, the legislature ushered in a major overhaul of divorce in this state. Maryland law, for the first time, allows spouses to seek and obtain divorces without proving that the other spouse was “at fault.” Maryland’s new avenues for pursuing a divorce include irreconcilable differences. The law also shorted…
Back in February, this blog discussed a bill in the General Assembly that would create “no-fault” divorce in this state. That bill passed and, as WUSA reminded its audience today, Maryland’s new no-fault divorce law takes effect tomorrow, October 1. The new law represents an important shift in divorce law…
Each state has its own laws regarding child custody and those laws get minor updates periodically. Less frequently, though, a larger change takes place. Maryland, for example, now has a requirement that each set of parents must complete something called a parenting plan. What, you may wonder, is a parenting…
Establishing paternity or “parentage” is fundamental to a child’s life for many reasons. For one, parents are legally responsible for the care and general welfare of their children, including financial support. Paternity becomes even more important in cases in which the alleged parents are divorced or have never been married. There…
The length of a divorce process in Maryland often depends on many different factors. Some of the more common variables include the parties’ relationship and whether they are amicable toward each other, the amount of assets and debts to be allocated, and whether there were any children born in the marriage. These are…
According to statistics compiled by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University, in 2014, people 50 years of age and older were two times as likely to get divorced as in 1990. And for people over the age of 65, the increase is even greater.…
Divorce is a very personal and trying time in a couple’s life together. There are many emotional, financial, and logistical issues to consider and resolve, such as the division of marital property, custody, and spousal support. And until recently, married couples that decided to separate were required by law to…
A common complaint among couples going through a divorce proceeding is the length of time it often takes to resolve and obtain a judgment of absolute divorce. One of the most common causes of a drawn-out process is inherent in the nature of a divorce: the couple’s relationship has deteriorated…