AA v. Ab D: Excluding Be…

AA v. Ab D: Excluding Best Interests Evidence – Are there Limits?

January 10th, 2022
What is AA v. Ab D? AA v. Ab D is a 2020 Court of Special Appeals opinion involving these important concepts in child custody cases: The court’s obligation to children when deciding child custody. Children’s rights to have their best interests fu… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody, Legal Developments, Litigation, Representing Children
Tags: Best Interests, Children, Custody, Sanctions
De Facto Developments 202…

De Facto Developments 2021

November 16th, 2021
Since writing my series on Maryland Third Party Custody, and in particular in Consent, De Facto Parents & Multi-Parent Families, a major development occurred in July 2021. The Court of Appeals, Maryland’s highest Court, issued EN v. TR, reviewi… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody, Legal Developments
Tags: Best Interests, child custody, Children, De Facto Parents, Third Party Custody
Maryland Child Custody â€â€¦

Maryland Child Custody – What ARE the Best Interests of the Child? (2020 Update)

June 2nd, 2020
When it comes to where a child of separated parents lives, the child’s schedule for spending time with each parent, and decision-making about a child, the guiding principle is the child’s best interests. In settlement, this means the parents put… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody, Divorce, Frequently Asked Questions, Representing Children
Tags: Best Interests, best interests of the child, child custody
When Parents' Constitutio…

When Parents' Constitutional Rights & Children's Best Interests Collide

January 23rd, 2020
How are parents’ constitutionally protected beliefs and behaviors weighed against children’s best interests in child custody decisions? The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States’ Constitution protects against the state’s t… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody, Legal Developments, Marriage, Representing Children
Tags: Best Interests, Children, Constitution, Custody

Maryland Child Custody - What ARE the Best Interests of the Child?

January 16th, 2018
When it comes to where a child of separated parents lives, the child’s schedule for spending time with each parent, and decision-making about a child, the guiding principle is the child’s best interests. In settlement, this means the pare… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody, Frequently Asked Questions, Litigation, Marital Agreements (Prenuptial, Postnuptial, Reconciliation), Mediation, Representing Children, Settlement
Tags: Best Interests, Children, Custody, Parenting Time, Parents

2017 Legislative Derail - Best Interest & Child Advocate Attorneys as DV Petitioners

June 28th, 2017
The 2017 Maryland legislative session saw an attempt to add Best Interest (“BIA”) and Child Advocate Attorneys (“CAA”) to the categories of domestic violence petitioners. Specifically, the proposed bill would have allowed BIAs… Read More
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Categories: Attorney Representation, Children & Custody, Legislative News, Representing Children
Tags: Best Interest Attorney, Best Interests, Child Advocate Attorney, Domestic Violence, Protective Order

Types of Evaluations in Custody Cases Volume 3: Other Types of Evaluations

June 27th, 2017
In two prior posts, I discussed court and private custody evaluations. But a few of the other types of evaluations in contested custody cases are: Psychological Evaluations: A psychological evaluation provides a psychological profile of a parent, bas… Read More
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Categories: Attorney Representation, Children & Custody, Frequently Asked Questions, Litigation, Representing Children
Tags: Addiction, Best Interests, Children, Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Therapy

Types of Evaluations in Custody Cases Volume 2: Private Custody Evaluations

June 27th, 2017
In contested custody cases, there are many types of evaluations that the court can order or parties can agree to undergo in order to assess the fitness of the parents and the living and decision-making arrangements that suit the best interests of the… Read More
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Categories: Attorney Representation, Children & Custody, Frequently Asked Questions, Litigation, Representing Children
Tags: Best Interests, Children, Custody Evaluation, Expert Witness

A Parent's Perspective on Nesting and Practical Considerations

June 27th, 2017
This New York Times piece features a parent’s perspective on nesting, 3 years down the road. Nesting involves parents separating, the children remaining in the home, while the parents rotate in and out of the home. In my experience, nesting is… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody
Tags: Best Interests, Children, Custody, Divorce, Nesting

LGBTQ Children & Custody

June 27th, 2017
A recent article in The Atlantic brings to mind the issues that may require an attorney (and the courts) to think differently about custody cases involving LGBTQ children. There are physical/residential custody implications if a parent and child are… Read More
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Categories: Children & Custody, Representing Children
Tags: Best Interests, Children, Custody, LGBTQ