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A December 11, 2017 Washington Post article, "More than 20 states in 2017 considered laws to promote shared custody of children after divorce", states: "Now lawmakers are accelerating this trend toward co-parenting, with legislatures in more than 20 states this...
What is a Right of First Refusal for Parenting Time? It is the other parent's right to spend time with the children if you are unavailable to be with them during your scheduled time. It obligates you to offer that time to the other parent before arranging for a...
Parents divorce; children don't divorce their parents. When it comes to holidays, co-parenting goes beyond keeping to the holiday schedule. Children rely on parents for help. Holidays are no different. Cooperative co-parents help children enjoy and...
Transitioning from an intact to a separated family poses many challenges. For the parents. And for their children. Holidays are a special challenge all their own. Time and again, I hear from Judges and Magistrates that litigating parents don't tell the...
Short answer: No. In Maryland, there are two types of guardianship: Guardianship of the Person; and, Guardianship of the Property. A guardian of the person is responsible for decision making about the minor child and making sure the child receives proper...
A child's preference is a relevant factor for the court to consider when deciding a custody arrangement (schedule and decision-making). The child's preference is but one of many best interests factors the court is supposed to consider when deciding custody....
In September 2017, I attended a conference at which one of the speakers said that a child who has had an opportunity to have a voice and be heard in the custody process is more likely to follow the custody order even if not the child's desired outcome. This...
Maryland recognizes three types of attorneys who can be appointed to represent children in contested custody, access/visitation/parenting time, and domestic violence cases. All of these roles require that the attorney be appointed by court order to represent the...
On September 29, the Court of Special Appeals issued an opinion about child support, focusing on the intersection of voluntary impoverishment (deliberate unemployment or underemployment to avoid paying child support) and immigration status. In short, in Dillon v....
Since July 2016, Maryland's Appellate Courts changed the landscape of child custody cases involving third parties - people who are not biological or adoptive parents - in two important ways. I will generally refer to these third parties as "non-parents". First,...
This post expands on earlier posts: What is Child Custody? and in the Customizing Your Case series on Physical Custody & Parenting Time, Legal Custody, Parenting Time Schedules, and Holidays. Summertime…A break from life as usual. So, too,...
On August 29, 2017 in Burak v. Burak, the highest court in Maryland decided that grandparents can request permission to participate in an existing an active custody case to request custody of a grandchild. This is done by way of intervention, meaning asking the court...