Maryland Divorce Laws and Resources
You can learn how to get a divorce in Maryland by using the following resources below. You can also find divorce lawyers and professionals, MD divorce papers, support services, and relevant divorce laws. If you need other information about getting a divorce, check out our divorce article section.
ProfessionalsDivorce LawyersPrivate Investigators Divorce & Parenting Services Background Checks Marriage Reconciliation Help Divorce SupportSupport GroupsDomestic ViolenceShelters and Hotlines |
Divorce PapersDivorce and Separation FormsOnline Divorce Divorce Form Preparation QDRO Preparation Family Law ResourcesDivorce LawsChild Support Guidelines Child Support Calculator Child Support Enforcement |
* This site receives compensation from affiliate links and third party advertising. Listings in the Resource and Professional Directory does not imply an endorsement by this website. WomansDivorce.com makes no warranty and assumes no legal liability for any service or provider listed below. If you provide a divorce related service and are interested in being listed in this directory, click here.
DIVORCE LAWYERS AND FIRMS
Law Offices of Jac E. Knust
Ellicott City, Maryland Family Law
Divorce attorney Jac E. Knust is devoted to your family-law needs. He is committed to using divorce mediation and collaborative law as alternative methods of dispute resolution.
Shah & Kishore
Rockville, Maryland
The divorce law firm of Shah & Kishore provide the highest quality of legal services for divorcing people.
Need a Divorce Lawyer?
LegalMatch allows you to present your case, and respond only to attorneys who want to help you. It's Free &
Confidential. You can post you legal issues with Legal Match and receive a reply
from qualified attorneys who can handle your case. Legal Match
is a good directory that empowers consumers to locate and
thoroughly review the experience, availability and price of
pre-screened attorneys before deciding whom to contact.
MARRIAGE RECONCILIATION HELP
Relational Harmony
Fernando Alessandri - Communication, Negotiation & Reconciliation Expert
PO Box 61
Davidsonville, MD 21035
Phone: 443-370-2606
Areas Served: Maryland, Northern Virginia, and DC
Find out more about Relationship Harmony
DIVORCE FORM PREPARATION
Have All of Your Divorce Papers Completed For You! This easy to use, accurate, and up-to-date on-line divorce service is a perfect "do it yourself (without a lawyer)" solution for any uncontested divorce (with or without children) that will be filed in MD. You can get "Real Person" customer support by phone & e-mail, plus access to 40 downloadable books (valued at over $750). Start your Maryland divorce today.
QDRO PREPARATION
QdroDesk - is an industry proven online service providing divorcing spouses with an instant, easy, accurate, and affordable method for obtaining Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), the appropriate settlement agreement language, and processing instructions to divide a retirement account upon divorce. The service is a result that only 45 years of combined QDRO experience can provide. When combining this expertise with a smart question and answer technology, QdroDesk has easily become the ideal solution for QDRO preparation.
DIVORCE AND PARENTING SERVICES
Center for Divorce Education
1005 East State Street, Suite G
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740-594-2526
Email:
Online parenting education to keep children out of the middle of divorce.
Christian Divorce Services
1217 Hilltop Ave
Fayetteville, NC 28305
Phone: 614-774-3766
Email:
We have locations in every state. When reconciliation has failed, we provide Christian legal alternatives consistent with 1Cor 6: 1-8. Please Contact Michael Wayland at our central office for a referral to a local office.
PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS
There are currently no private investigators for this state
BACKGROUND CHECKS
Instant Background Report - Find out date of birth and marital status, address history and aliases, criminal and court records, sex offender searches, property records, general public records, business registration and property resources. Find out the truth about anyone!
DIVORCE SUPPORT GROUPS
Changing Focus
1657 Crofton Parkway
Crofton, MD 21114
Telephone: 410-721-0992
Email:
Website: www.changingfocus.org
We provide education and support groups for adults going through
marital separation or divorce, or have lost their spouse by death.
We also offer help for those who wish to develop better relationship
and communication skills. Locations in Central MD (counties: Howard, Prince Georges, Baltimore)
Divorce Care can help you locate a divorce support group in your area. There are thousands of DivorceCare support groups throughout the USA and Canada, and many groups meeting internationally as well.
Partners in Prevention provides consulting and psychological services to
domestic abuse survivors before, during and post divorce. Additionally, we serve
as consulting experts in both civil and criminal domestic violence cases. We
also offer continuing medical and nursing education in domestic abuse assessment
and clinical management to healthcare professionals. You can contact us at:
13918 E. Mississippi Ave
Aurora, CO 80012
Phone: 720-222-1058
Economic Empowerment For Women - BreakFreee.org is a non-profit organization offering free, unbiased, access to financial information and education to low to middle income women. Key features of the website include: Financial issues for divorcees, financial calculators, and a database of Frequently Asked Questions where you can submit questions and receive unbiased answers from financial planners.
60 West Olsen Road #3500
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Phone: 888-372-4155
Email:
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES
Domestic Violence Crisis and Support ServicesShelters and Hotlines
Network Against Domestic Violence
MARYLAND DIVORCE LAW SUMMARY
Online Divorce Laws - Click on Maryland Code, scroll down and click on Family Law.RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS AND WHERE TO FILE: If the grounds for divorce occurred within the state, divorce may be filed in the county where either party resides. If the grounds for divorce occurred outside of the state, a person must be a resident for at least one year before they can file for a divorce in MD. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, § 7-101]
LEGAL GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE: A divorce may be granted on the following grounds:
- Adultery;
- Desertion for at least one year before filing;
- Voluntary separation for at least one year before filing;
- Conviction of a felony, when the defendant has been sentenced to at least three years in a penal institution, and has served at least one year of the conviction;
- Living separate and apart for at least 2 years;
- Insanity;
- Cruelty or domestic violence against the petitioner or a minor child of the complaining partner. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, § 7-103]
LEGAL SEPARATION: A husband and wife may reach an enforceable agreement relating to alimony, support, property rights, or personal rights. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, § 8-101]
MEDIATION OR COUNSELING REQUIREMENTS: In a divorce involving children, the parents may be required to attend and educational seminar to educate parents about the effects of divorce on children. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, § 7-103.2]
PROPERTY DISTRIBUTION: This is an equitable distribution state, meaning that if the spouses can't reach an agreement, the court will divide the marital estate in an equitable, but not necessarily equal, fashion. When determining the division of the marital estate, the court may take the following factors into consideration:
- The contributions of each party to the marital estate, both monetary and non-monetary;
- the value of all property of each party;
- the economic circumstances of each party;
- misconduct that led to the estrangement of the parties;
- the duration of the marriage;
- the age and physical or mental condition of each of the parties;
- how the marital property was acquired;
- the amount of alimony awarded; and
- any other factors that the court deems relevant. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, § 8-205]
» Return to top
ALIMONY/MAINTENANCE/SPOUSAL SUPPORT: Alimony may be awarded to
either spouse, with the court taking the following factors into consideration
when determining a fair and equitable award:
- the ability of the party seeking alimony to be wholly or partly self-supporting;
- the time necessary to gain sufficient education or training to enable that party to find suitable employment;
- the duration and standard of living established during the marriage;
- the contributions, monetary and nonmonetary, of each party to the well-being of the family;
- the circumstances that contributed to the estrangement of the parties;
- the age and physical or mental condition of each party;
- the ability of the party from whom alimony is sought to meet his or her needs while paying alimony;
- any agreement between the parties;
- the financial needs and financial resources of each party; and
- whether the award would cause a spouse who is a resident of a related institution as defined in § 19-301 and from whom alimony is sought to become eligible for medical assistance earlier than would otherwise occur. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, Sections 11-101 and 11-106]
SPOUSE'S NAME: Either spouse may request to take back a former or maiden name after divorce. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, § 7-105]
» Return to top
CHILD CUSTODY: A court may award custody of a minor child to either
parent or joint custody to both parents, with neither parent being resumed to
have any right to custody that is superior to the right of the other parent. If
the court has reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been abused or
neglected by a parent, and if the court believes that the conduct will
continue, the court shall deny custody or visitation rights to that party,
except that the court may approve a supervised visitation arrangement that
assures the safety and the physiological, psychological, and emotional
well-being of the child. A child who is 16 years old or older may file a
petition to change custody. [Based on Maryland Code, Family Law, Sections 5-203, 9-101 and 9-103]
» Return to top
CHILD SUPPORT: The level of child support is based on the
Income Shares model, meaning the both parent's incomes is combined
to determine the amount of support. The basic child support
obligation is then divided between the parents in proportion to
their adjusted actual incomes. The support guidelines may be
deviated from due to the terms of any existing separation or
property settlement agreements, or the presence in the household of
either parent of other children to whom that parent owes a duty of
support and the expenses for whom that parent is directly
contributing. [Based on
Maryland Code, Family Law, Sections 12-202 and 12-204]
» Return to top