When married parties are ready to divorce, there is no typical path for a divorcing couple, but there is a path to divorce. The path to commencing a divorce action in the state of Maryland is by filing a pleading for divorce, and then following the procedures necessary to pursue a divorce in the Circuit Court. And after each procedural measure is taken to get started in court, the court will identify a number of hearings leading to a final divorce hearing for the issues whether it is a contested or uncontested divorce. While that may sound simple enough, there could be complexities within that process. In order to complete a divorce in Maryland, you must be able to satisfy the grounds for divorce.

Uncontested Divorce

                    Divorces that are uncontested, either by written agreement of the parties, or more simply that there are no assets to divide or children to share time with usually follow a more direct path. When filing for divorce, you can attach your Agreement to the filing and make a request for an uncontested hearing. So long as you and your spouse are on the same page, an uncontested divorce can go through a relatively quick process from filing to final hearing.

Contested Divorce

                    Divorces that are contested, when the married parties contest the division of assets, alimony, retirement, and/or with children, custody and child support will often go through a few stages until they are ultimately resolved. These stages may include the court setting up conferences, hearings, mediation or other alternative dispute resolutions, or a trial to hear and resolve all of the contested issues.

No matter where you are in the process, considering divorce, separation, division of assets, custody, it can be helpful to discuss your situation with a family lawyer to advise you of your rights and the process to take to assist with your divorce plan and process. Instead of setting up a consultation, it could be more useful of your time to utilize an unbundled service and set up a strategy session, to go over specific details of your situation and plan out a strategy to proceed accordingly. We schedule strategy sessions as necessary to assess your needs and to assist in your divorce process.