Executive Summary:  Businesses are uniquely vulnerable during divorce because they involve ongoing income, operations, and third parties. A postnuptial agreement, when aligned with a business’s operating agreement, can protect the business from disruption and prevent either spouse from using it as leverage. Planning ahead helps preserve income, stability, and long-term value for both parties. If you own a business Read More

Executive Summary: Prenup conversations don’t have to be awkward or adversarial. Starting with shared goals, choosing the right timing, and focusing on clarity, not fear, can make the discussion productive and meaningful. Especially during the wedding season, couples benefit from addressing finances early, openly, and with support. Wedding season is almost here. The save-the-dates are out. Venues are booked. Read More

Executive Summary: The Maryland Court of Special Appeals reaffirmed in Houser v. Houser (2024) that parents cannot waive child support, even if they agree and even if they try to use the “magic” language of “charged generally.” Child support is the child’s right, not the parents’. Courts must always run the Maryland Child Support Guidelines to determine an appropriate amount, ensuring the child’s financial needs are Read More

Here’s something people don’t always hear during a divorce: it’s not the court’s job to make sure you’re okay. The court’s job is to divide things based on the facts and the finances. Period. What is in your control is sitting down and actually doing the math. Running the numbers. Filling out the worksheets. Looking at income, expenses, and assets on paper instead of letting them spin around in your head at 2 Read More

Quick Overview: Parent coordination helps separated or divorced parents manage conflict and resolve parenting disputes without constantly returning to court. It is a structured, child-focused process that keeps families moving forward even when communication is strained. Parent Coordinators work with parents who are already separated, co-parenting smoothly, struggling with communication, or involved in ongoing Read More

Executive Summary: Effective October 1, 2025, Maryland’s HB 275 introduces a “multifamily adjustment” so courts can deduct income used to support children in the payer’s household from child support calculations. Meanwhile, HB 881/SB 703 requires 100% of collected child support to pass through to families receiving state assistance, phased in from FY 2028–2031. Together, these reforms modernize the system to better Read More

Executive Summary: Maryland’s new Family Law § 9-201 (HB 1191), effective October 1, 2025, officially codifies the “best interests of the child” factors into state law. Judges must now evaluate sixteen detailed elements, emphasizing stability, cooperation, and the child’s safety and developmental needs. This update replaces decades of case-law interpretation, providing more consistency and transparency for families Read More

So, you’re in a committed relationship, maybe even living together, sharing a house, and splitting the bills, but you don’t want to get married. Totally fine. No judgment here. But if you’re thinking, “Well, we’re not married, so we don’t really need any kind of legal agreement,” let’s hit pause. In Maryland, domestic partnerships are legally recognized, but barely. You can file a one-page form, get it on record, and Read More

Here’s a little truth bomb: every marriage has an ending.  It may be decades away and full of love and laughter, but at some point, it ends in either divorce or death. And while I don’t want this to make you feel doomed or cynical, it does mean you should have a plan in place. That’s where prenups come in. Not the stuffy, combative, “I’m keeping my money, you keep yours” kind of plan. We’re talking about your plan. Read More

You’re married. You’re both on the child’s birth certificate. You’ve been parenting together since the day your child was born. So why would you need to go through the adoption process for your own kid? Because without a judgment of adoption, your parental rights may not be recognized everywhere. And for same-sex parents, that can be a real problem. Marriage equality was a huge step forward, but it didn’t fix every Read More