Fathers can absolutely win primary custody in Maryland. Under Maryland Family Law § 5-203, neither parent automatically has superior rights to custody over the other. Maryland law treats mothers and fathers equally when it comes to custody decisions. The old idea that courts automatically favor mothers is simply not legally valid in Maryland.
Courts consider what is best for the child, not the gender of the parent asking for custody. A father who is actively involved and able to meet his child's needs has just as strong a case as any mother. If you are a father fighting for custody in 2026, our Chevy Chase, MD family lawyers are here to help.
Maryland courts base all custody decisions on what is called the best interests of the child standard. Maryland Family Law § 9-201 reflects this approach by identifying factors courts may consider when evaluating a child’s welfare.
A drug trafficking charge is one of the most serious charges a person can face in Maryland. You are probably scared, confused, and wondering what comes next. That's completely understandable. These charges carry heavy penalties, and the legal process can be hard to navigate on your own. If you're facing this situation in 2026, our Gaithersburg, MD drug trafficking defense lawyers are here to help.
You hear "drug trafficking" and likely picture large criminal organizations. But Maryland law defines it much more broadly than that. Under Maryland Criminal Law § 5-602, a person can be charged with drug trafficking simply for distributing, dispensing, or possessing a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute.
Alimony is one of the first things people ask about when a marriage is falling apart. It’s also one of the least understood parts of divorce. Some people expect it automatically. Others assume they will never qualify. The truth is more nuanced than either of those assumptions, and in Maryland, whether you pay or receive alimony depends on the specific facts of your case.
If you are thinking about divorce in 2026, here is a straightforward look at how Maryland alimony actually works. Contact our Bethesda, MD divorce attorneys to get your questions about alimony answered.
Alimony is never automatic in Maryland. A court will not award it simply because one spouse earns more than the other, or because the marriage lasted a long time. You have to ask for it, and then the court decides whether it is appropriate based on a list of specific factors laid out in Maryland Code, Family Law § 11-106.
If you are facing DUI charges with a minor in your vehicle, the penalties in 2026 are more severe than a standard DUI. You could face jail time, heavy fines, loss of your license, and child endangerment charges. Our Rockville criminal defense lawyer can help protect your rights.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 35 people die in drunk driving accidents every day. Over the course of recent years, over a thousand of those people have been minors.
This isn’t to make you feel guilty; parents are only people, and many of us get behind the wheel mistakenly thinking we’re fine to drive. But you need to understand that getting arrested for DUI with your child in the car is one of the most serious charges you can face.
Maryland's custody law saw major changes with House Bill 1191, which codifies the "best interests" factors into law, creating a clearer, more consistent standard for judges to follow, emphasizing stability, safety, and specific developmental needs, and requiring courts to explain their reasoning. Key updates include a clear list of 16 factors (like stability, conflict exposure, child's preference) and formalizing that a parent's move can be a material change for modification. This is very important, because the Court now has to literally, on the record, enumerate the factors it considered in determining custody. Key Changes from HB 1191 (Effective Oct 1, 2025)
As of October 1, 2025, Maryland made some important changes to child support laws that may affect families involved in a pending or future divorce, custody, and/or modification of custody case. The biggest takeaway is that you can no longer "waive child support."
Here’s what you need to know:
Multifamily Adjustment – Maryland revised the definition of "adjusted actual income". Now, the Court can include an allowance for additional children in a parent’s home – this is a significant departure from the old law. The Court has discretion to include, or not, the additional children allowance based on the best interest of the child at issue.
Houser v. Houser (2024) – Is a recent case which stands for two important concepts:
One of the questions I get asked over and over again, is how to divorce a narcissist. Narcissists are not just difficult; they are also calculated and manipulative, especially during a divorce. They may attempt to gaslight you, distorting facts to make you question your memory, or file frivolous motions to drain your financial resources. Please know you are not "crazy." The gaslighting and manipulation by the other spouse aims to make you "feel" that way.
One day, a narcissist might be charming, and the next, they are using your children as leverage to maintain control. For example, they might conveniently "forget" to share financial records or exaggerate their role as a parent to gain sympathy. In one recent case, the narcissistic spouse called the pediatrician and took my client off of every health form, in direct violation of a court order.
These tactics are not just frustrating; they are designed to wear you down. Recognizing these behaviors is your first line of defense.
Helpful tips:
Document Your Interactions: Narcissists excel at rewriting history. Keep a detailed log of all communications (emails, text messages, and even voicemails). If your spouse tries to twist the narrative, you will have the evidence to counter their claims.
Grandparents often step in to help raise their grandchildren through informal "kinship care" arrangements when their own child is in an unstable situation. This arrangement can last a few months or even years, but there are rarely court orders or guardianship papers to make it legal. It is simply family members helping loved ones. But what happens when a parent later decides to reclaim full custody or restrict contact?
The grandparents who provided daily care are suddenly shut out. Do grandparents who have provided substantial – but informal – kinship care have any legal right to visitation? In Maryland, pursuing court-ordered visitation after informal kinship care is possible, but the legal bar may be considerably higher than most grandparents realize. In fact, Maryland law provides grandparents with a very narrow path to court-ordered visitation.
If you are a grandparent who assumes years of hands-on caregiving will automatically translate into visitation rights when the parent ends the relationship, you should have realistic expectations. Consulting with a knowledgeable Anne Arundel County, MD family law attorney can help you understand the reality of the situation.
Suppose you have been stopped for suspected DUI, and the police officer asks you to take a breath test. Under Maryland Transportation Article Section 16-205.1, anyone driving in Maryland is deemed to have consented to a chemical test (breath, blood, or urine). While you do have the right to refuse a breath test, under Maryland’s 2024 ignition interlock updates, that decision now carries much heavier consequences than before.
The legislative changes expanded mandatory interlock device eligibility, increased license suspension periods, and reduced the discretion that drivers once had to negotiate Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) consequences. It is essential that you fully understand how the Ignition Interlock Program interacts with test refusals before you decide whether to submit to a breath test. A Chevy Chase, MD DUI lawyer can help you determine what your penalties for refusal may be while defending your charges aggressively.
Custody disputes between parents can get ugly and complicated, but in Maryland, courts now recognize the concept of a "de facto parent." This is a non-biological caregiver who has taken on a parental role in the life of a child. The legal recognition of a de facto parent could include grandparents, stepparents, same-sex partners, or other caregivers. It could also allow these de facto parents to seek custody or visitation rights, even though they may not be related by adoption or blood.
Understanding how de facto parental status works is essential when custody battles extend beyond the traditional child-parent relationship. Whether you are a de facto parent seeking custody or a parent facing a custody claim by a de facto parent, it can be beneficial to speak to a Rockville, MD family law attorney.
A de facto parent is a non-biological, non-adoptive individual who has lived with and acted as a parent to a child, creating a parent-child bond. This bond was created with the full knowledge and consent of the legal parents. There are four factors that must be demonstrated for an individual to qualify for de facto parental status:
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