Frederick Legal Blog

Making the decision to divorce may be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. It's common for such a decision to spark many lifestyle changes and challenges, especially regarding your children, if you're a parent. Many issues stem from child-related matters, such as those involving finances, selling or keeping your Maryland home, school issues, custody and other topics. If you're one of many parents who believe you should have sole custody of your kids, the court will expect you to have good reason.

If your ex is an unfit parent, you'll need to show evidence of this to convince a judge or jury that your kids are better off in your care only. Past marital problems are not necessarily relevant material as far as proving a parent unfit. The judge is likely not interested in the fact that your spouse never cleaned up after himself or herself, or never appreciated you. Such issues may indeed have been factors toward divorce but don't necessarily mean your ex shouldn't share custody.

When you decided to file for divorce in a Maryland court, you knew that your decision was going to have an impact on your children's lives. However, you also knew that you would build a strong support system around your kids to help them cope and move on in life. You adamantly believed that with the right amount of cooperation and compromise between you and your spouse, your children would be okay.

That's before you realized that your future former spouse had a different plan in mind, one that would attempt to alienate your children from you, to make you the bad guy, to impede your parent/child relationships and to flat-out undermine your parental authority and disregard your rights. Parental alienation causes serious contention and legal problems in many divorce situations. There are ways to rectify this type of problem.

In many marriages, it is not uncommon for one spouse to be financially dependent on the other. Maybe one is the breadwinner while the other stays at home or maybe both spouses work, but one's income is simply more than the other's is. When couples in this position divorce, the financially dependent spouse may need some support as he or she works toward achieving a solid economic standing. This is why alimony exists.

Maryland defines alimony as periodic payments to a former spouse. It is not a benefit awarded in all divorce cases. If it is included in your dissolution settlement, the amount you receive and the duration you receive it will depend on a number of factors.

Child custody is one of the most complex issues in any divorce, but it can be particularly difficult for Maryland military families. Service in the military can have a significant impact on how custody and visitation arrangements will work after the divorce is final. Families with one or two military members would be prudent to seek assistance as they address these sensitive issues.

As an active and loving parent, you have the right to play an important role in the life of your child. Children benefit when they have regular access to both parents after divorce. While military service can make custody and visitation difficult, it is possible to secure an arrangement that reflects both your rights as a parent and the best interests of your children.