Maryland Child Support Enforcement Child support enforcement in Maryland helps the state make sure that children are provided for by both parents. Unpaid child support is a serious problem that state child support enforcement agencies are working hard to fight. Parents who fail to pay child support may face a variety of penalties, including: Interception of federal and state tax...Read More

[dropcap type=”circle” color=”#COLOR_CODE” background=”#COLOR_CODE”]M[/dropcap] aryland divorce courts accept both no fault and fault grounds for divorce. Under Maryland divorce law, permanent divorce is called an absolute divorce. In Maryland divorce, there are two kinds of no fault divorce. A couple needs to be mutually and voluntarily separated for more than a year with no hope...Read More

This is a great article that argues against cohabitation prior to marriage. Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist, makes some really strong points. For example, she states that: Sliding into cohabitation wouldn’t be a problem if sliding out were as easy. But it isn’t. Too often, young adults enter into what they imagine will be low-cost,...Read More

Protecting Your Rights in Military Divorce Divorce is complicated enough when both parents are available to meet and discuss the situation. However, if one spouse is in the military and serving out-of-state, it can be more challenging to resolve divorce matters. There are additional elements — such as jurisdictional issues and retirement benefits — that...Read More

If you are in need of locating a good attorney, one who specializes in family law, then you need someone who can look after your interests as well as the interests of your children. Although you should feel welcomed to contact Maryland Family Law Attorney Dondi West, I have listed five options to help you...Read More

This quick guide highlights 10 common mistakes that parties make during a divorce proceeding and separation.   1. Entering Into Private Negotiations Without Your Lawyer’s Knowledge or Consent When calling to make arrangements to pick up the kids, its is easy for the conversation to venture off into the ongoing divorce proceeding. After all, the...Read More

There have been numerous reports that the marriages of military couples are under threat due to the stress of the recent wars and the long and dangerous deployments. Lizette Alvarez writing in the New York Times in 2006 states, “Military deployments have a way of chewing up marriages, turning daily life upside down and making...Read More

Judiciary committee member, Delegate Jill Carter, has been a great friend of Shared Parenting and last year introduced House Bill 925 calling for a presumption of equal physical placement and joint legal custody.  She is reintroducing the bill this year (it will have a different bill number but the language will be substantively the same). ...Read More

Dondi West is a member of The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. For more information on the Collaborative/Mediated Divorce process, please see the video below.Read More