Monthly Archives: September 2025
Can You Disclaim Paternity in Maryland After Acknowledging It on a Child’s Birth Certificate?
There are several ways for a putative father to establish paternity in Maryland. The easiest is to be married to the child’s mother when that child is conceived or born. In that scenario, Maryland law automatically presumes the parent who did not give birth is the father. If the parents are unmarried, however, the… Read More »
What Is the Role of “Reunification Therapy” in a Maryland Child Custody Dispute?
We all recognize that divorce is a traumatic experience for young children caught in the middle of their parents’ failing marriage. That trauma does not magically heal once the judge signs a final custody and visitation order. To the contrary, it is quite common for the child to become alienated from one or both… Read More »
Can a Maryland Guardian Exercise Control Over a Ward’s Estate Planning Trust?
Maryland law empowers judges to appoint a guardian to oversee the affairs of an incapacitated adult (who is known as a ward). There are actually two distinct types of adult guardians: a guardian of person, who oversees the ward’s living situation and care; and a guardian of property, who takes charge of the ward’s… Read More »
Is a Car Titled in One Spouse’s Name “Marital Property” in a Maryland Divorce?
In Maryland divorce cases, when the parties cannot agree on how to divide their property, it is left to a circuit court judge to make an “equitable division.” The first step in such a division is determining the scope of the couple’s “marital property.” Under Maryland law, any property acquired by either spouse during… Read More »
How Can a Prenuptial Agreement Affect My Maryland Inheritance Rights as a Married Person?
When most people hear the phrase “prenuptial agreement,” they immediately think about divorce. But prenuptial (and post-nuptial) agreements are also commonly used to define the inheritance rights of spouses when one of them dies. Under Maryland law, the surviving spouse has the right to claim an “elective share” of their deceased spouse’s estate. This… Read More »