Virginia has joined Maryland and D.C. in passing the Uniform Collaborative Law Act (the UCLA). The Virginia UCLA will apply to all Virginia family law Collaborative cases starting July 1, 2021. Begun in 1990 as a newcomer to the array of Alternative Dispute Resolution options, Collaborative Law was introduced in the DMV area in 2005 […]
In December 2017, Congress rushed to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: a 503-page document that drastically alters several of the popular tax credits and deductions around which many divorcing families structure their financial planning. This first major tax reform in decades affects taxes beginning in 2018 and will have a significant impact on […]
The trend in recent years has been toward greater creativity in marriage ceremonies, including locations, vows, and officiants. In personalizing the ceremony, it is important to keep in mind that the legal requirements for marriage are set forth in the laws of each jurisdiction, both as to the qualifications for a person to marry and […]
Premarital agreements get a bad rap for being anti-romantic, anti-relationship and getting a marriage off to a bad start. If they are done right, nothing could be further from the truth. The Collaborative Process has gained traction in the last decade as a respectful way for couples to settle their divorce issues outside of court. […]
In May Governor Martin O’Malley signed the Maryland Uniform Collaborative Law Act, which passed both houses of the Maryland Legislature without objection. Effective October 1, 2014, this law allows divorcing couples to craft their own agreement to protect their confidential information during the Collaborative Process. In contrast, if the parties seek a court resolution, it […]
On May 18, 2012, in Port v. Cowan, the Maryland Court of Appeals unanimously held that Maryland courts will recognize a same-sex marriage validly entered into in another state for purposes of granting a divorce. Maryland’s highest court said that its holding is in line with Maryland’s history of according deference to marriages validly performed […]
