Maple Lawn Divorce Lawyer
Divorce is never easy, but it’s certainly possible to get through the process without excessive strife or anxiety and without giving up on your valuable legal rights. The Maple Lawn divorce lawyers at Weinberg & Schwartz, L.L.C., can provide you with the advice and representation you need to move through your divorce and come out the other side with your rights and interests intact and well-protected, ready to move forward in a new phase of your life. Call our family law office for assistance in a contested or uncontested divorce in Maple Lawn.
Filing for Divorce in Maple Lawn
A party can file for divorce in Maryland if they or their spouse have resided in Maryland for at least one year prior to the filing of the complaint for divorce or if the grounds for divorce occurred in the State of Maryland. A party must be a resident of Maryland when the complaint is filed.
The divorce should be filed in the county of residence of either spouse. Maple Lawn residents would file their petition at the Howard County Circuit Court in Ellicott City.
Temporary Orders for Custody, Support
Some people hesitate to file for divorce if they are in a weaker economic position than their spouse and worry how they will be able to pay for an attorney or support themselves during the divorce process, which can take months when matters such as child custody or the property division are hotly contested. In answer to this concern, Maryland courts are empowered to make temporary orders while the divorce is pending. These orders are officially referred to as “pendente lite,” meaning “pending litigation.”
The court can award temporary relief to either of the parties regarding matters such as visitation, child support, alimony, attorney’s fees, litigation costs, maintenance of health insurance and use and possession of the family home. The court, however, cannot divide marital property or order a sale of assets as part of a pendent lite order. A pendente lite order remains in effect until the parties reach a final resolution or the trial judge issues a final order/divorce decree.
The common practice in most counties in Maryland is that a pendente lite hearing is heard before a Family Law Magistrate in the Circuit Court, who makes recommendations to a judge. A Family Law Magistrate hears only specific matters. The Maple Lawn divorce attorneys at Weinberg & Schwartz, L.L.C., are well-versed in pendente lite proceedings and can ably present your case to a Family Law Magistrate so that you are taken care of during your divorce.
Irreconcilable Differences as a Ground for Divorce
Filing contested divorce based on Irreconcilable Differences does not require the parties to be pitted against one another to blame the other for the breakdown of the marriage. It is an approach to divorce that the majority of the other states utilize. A brief description of the problems in the marriage is often all that is required in the pleadings.
Though pursuing a contested divorce based on Irreconcilable Differences does not require a specific waiting period before a divorce can be granted by the Court, the process of obtaining a divorce if contested often takes around a year to complete. The most time efficient manner to obtain a divorce from your spouse is reach a written agreement resolving all issues arising out of your marriage and filing for divorce on an uncontested basis.
Call for Help With Divorce in Maple Lawn
For help with divorce in Maple Lawn, whether contested or uncontested, contact Weinberg & Schwartz, L.L.C., by calling 410-997-0203 or reaching out online. Our Maple Lawn divorce lawyers will work to make sure you are adequately represented in the divorce process and obtain the result you desire.
