Yes, Parents Can Be Charged with Kidnapping Their Own Children
When you and your child’s other parent are divorcing, or just going through a child custody battle, unless a court order specifies otherwise, you both have legal rights to your child. However, when there has been a court order entered determining custody and visitation rights, taking your child out of state, out of the country,…
Read MorePrenups and Postnups: Do I Need One?
Congratulations! You’re getting married! This is a time for celebrating and beginning to plan for your big day. While you’re choosing a color scheme, trying on gowns and tuxedos, and taste testing cake samples, you might begin thinking about whether you need to protect yourself in case the future pans out differently than you planned.…
Read MoreProtecting Your Child from an Abusive Parent
Some subjects in life are more difficult to wrap your mind around than others, especially when you are a parent considering how to protect your child. After all, that’s your primary job aside from loving, feeding and clothing him or her. Protecting your child from strangers gets more difficult every day with the progression of…
Read MoreWill Maryland’s New Definition of “Extraordinary Medical Expenses” Hurt Families?
Maryland’s Child Support Guidelines generally call for the examination of the income of each of the parents. The amount of child support that each parent should pay also depends on whether the parents are sharing physical custody, among other factors. As a general rule, the family court does not consider the expenses of the parents…
Read MoreMcCabe Russell Divorce and Child Custody Lawyers Would Like to Welcome Molly Callanan and Kaylesh Ramu to the Firm!
McCabe Russell Divorce and Child Custody Lawyers is delighted to introduce two new members of our team! Molly Callanan and Kaylesh Ramu are Associate Attorneys, and we invite you to join us in welcoming them to the firm. Molly Callanan earned her J.D. from Tulane University, and worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Harford…
Read MoreWhat is the Difference Between Physical Custody and Legal Custody in Maryland?
Determining child custody can be one of the most contentious aspects of divorce. Most parents have a basic idea of the different types of custody that are available in a Maryland divorce, but do you understand the difference between legal and physical custody, and how co-parents handle decision-making based on these distinctions? At McCabe Russell,…
Read MoreCan I Remove My Spouse from the House During the Divorce?
The time in between when you decide to get a divorce and when the divorce is final can seem like an eternity. When you are forced to spend those interminable days with the person you are trying to separate yourself from, it can make healing and moving on with your life an elusive fantasy. Many…
Read MoreSetting Realistic Expectations When Preparing Yourself for Divorce
Although you are almost guaranteed to know at least one person, if not several people, who has gone through it, you won’t find many who want to talk about how painful and difficult divorce can be. Even if it is something you wanted, breaking away from one of the most significant relationships of your life…
Read MoreHow Do We Ensure That the Best Interest of the Child Includes His and Her Safety?
It is common practice to assume that the best interest of a child includes access to both parents. Co-parenting is a critical element in any parenting plan, and courts want children to spend time with both parents. Under normal circumstances, this is in the best interest of the kids. But what happens when it is…
Read MoreIs Collaborative Divorce Right for Me?
It is certainly no secret that going through a divorce can be overwhelming, challenging and sometimes contentious. It can involve time, multiple attorneys, and in some cases, hours of court time and litigation. However, the process does not have to go this way. There are alternatives which can make things a bit easier for you.…
Read MoreCan I Adopt My Younger Sibling in Maryland?
Adoption is a beautiful way to build a family. It provides an infant or a child in need with a more emotionally and financially stable environment and gives people the opportunity to become a family. Every family is unique, and so is every adoption situation. We’re often asked if siblings can adopt other siblings –…
Read MoreHow to Keep Your Divorce Case Moving Smoothly
For some people, hiring a divorce lawyer is their first foray into the legal community. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are already feeling stressed about the end of your marriage. While we normally discuss how we can help our clients, today we wanted to give you some guidelines for how you…
Read MoreCan I Bring a Friend or Relative to My Attorney Meeting?
Even the most amicable divorce can be stressful and overwhelming. Many people wonder if they can bring a close friend or relative to their attorney meeting (or meetings). This can help your comfort level as well as having an extra set of ears to process and take down information. However, is this really a good…
Read MoreWhat You Should Know about Parental Alienation
Going through a divorce can be stressful. With children in the mix, family issues may become difficult to navigate and sometimes emotions can take over. When tensions run high and out of control, you may find yourself dealing with an issue psychologists call “parental alienation.” Parental alienation, in a nutshell, is when one parent turns…
Read MoreCan a Child Have More Than Two Parents?
Madison is a girl who lives in California, a state which recognizes multi-parenting, or “tri-parenting.” Her legal parents include her two moms and a dad: her father is the sperm donor, one of her mothers carried her, and her other mother is married to her birth mother. It is her non-birth mother who became her…
Read MoreModifying A Child Custody Agreement – Your Questions Answered
In many divorces, child support and child custody can be the most contentious and difficult topics. Determining who pays child support and who gets legal and physical custody of the children can get complicated, and sometimes down the road, things change. If your or your ex’s – or your child’s – circumstances have changed and…
Read MoreIs It Legal for My Spouse to Empty Our Joint Bank Account?
For many married couples, it just makes sense to have a joint bank account to manage the family’s finances. These types of accounts can be quite useful during a marriage, but during times of conflict or divorce, they can become weapons if used incorrectly. About joint accounts When two people have a joint bank account,…
Read MoreHow Mental Health Issues Can Affect Child Custody
It can be difficult to talk about, but needs to be acknowledged – mental illness affects every aspect of a person’s life, as well as the lives around them. Sometimes mental illness can have serious or devastating effects on a marriage or relationship. Often this can lead to issues with divorce or child custody. When…
Read MoreRuling: Michigan Will No Longer Fund Adoption Agencies That Refuse Gay Parents
Recent legal news out of Michigan shows a win for prospective adoptive parents – adoption agencies that receive state and taxpayer funding are no longer legally allowed to turn away same-sex couples or LGBTQ parents based on religious objections. Although this type of discrimination is illegal here in Maryland, it continues to be an issue…
Read MoreAvoiding the Debt and Divorce Trap
We all know that debt can be a big stressor in our lives – whether we’re married or single. But financial issues can play a huge part in why couples divorce. We even wrote about it in a recent blog. However, this doesn’t mean that if you or your spouse brought debt into the relationship…
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