Division of marital property is but one of many aspects of a divorce proceeding, yet possibly the most problematic. The more assets a couple shares, the more complicated the division becomes. When couples who live in Maryland file for divorce, they might contemplate selling the family home, splitting the rental income from the beach house,…
Very few people realize at the outset of a divorce proceeding just how complex the process can be when marital property includes retirement accounts. When couples get divorced, retirement benefits commonly form a substantial part of the marital property and often can be among the highest-valued assets that a couple owns.Dividing retirement accounts, such as…
Who Gets the Marital Home in the Divorce? There are financial costs associated with divorce, and sometimes those costs can be astronomical. But the non-quantifiable costs brought on by divorce can be even more devastating, namely the mental and emotional impact it can have on the family. Often, deciding what to do with the marital…
When filing for a divorce in Maryland, decisions are made regarding the fundamentals: marital property, alimony, and—if there is at least one minor child—custody and child support. Resolution of these issues is required no matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you make. But your personal wealth could become a major…
New Maryland Divorce Law: Mutual Consent (Columbia, MD) For many years, Maryland divorce law required that couples seeking divorce live separate and apart for 12 full months before they were eligible to become divorced. Many people found this delay to be difficult and costly. However, a new Maryland Divorce Law could change that for some…
Columbia, Maryland family law attorney at Coover Law Firm discusses the use of social media posts in divorce or child custody & how to manage your social media.
Domestic Violence in Maryland: Grounds for Divorce Chronic domestic abuse, known as “cruelty of treatment,” is one of the grounds for divorce in Maryland – but the abuse must persist for an extended time period. If an abused person is being subjected to domestic violence in Maryland, he or she may need to seek the…
How Are Retirement Plans Divided in a Divorce Case? One of the largest assets to be divided between divorcing spouses [both genders] is often the retirement plans/ benefits or one or both spouses. Judges may order that the “marital” portion of such retirement benefits be divided between the divorcing spouses and paid, even years in…
Under Maryland law, custody of a minor child is defined in terms of “legal custody”; “ physical custody ”; “sole custody”; “shared custody” and “ joint custody ”. When making a custody determination, Maryland judges and magistrates apply a legal standard known as the “child’s best interests” and determine where the residence of the child…
Separation and Divorce can often become an extremely heated process. Perhaps your spouse’s violent or threatening tendencies are what led to the separation, or perhaps these behaviors arose only after you began the process of separating from or divorcing your spouse. One thing is certain: you are protected under the law from being abused, threatened,…