Archive: Client Alert

October 1 is the date when the majority of laws enacted by the Maryland legislature during the preceding session take effect. While the 2022 legislative session wasn’t as busy of a legislative session as 2021 as far as the estate and trust world is concerned, there are a few new interesting Maryland laws which may...

If you pay or receive child support in Maryland, you are likely familiar with the concept of the “Maryland Child Support Guidelines”. In short, these guidelines provide the presumed amount of child support owed based upon the number of children and the combined monthly income of the parents. If you’re curious what that looks like, I’ve...

In a case involving somewhat unusual facts, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals revived a recovery for victims who suffered emotional distress without physical harm. A Harford County family was home at night, fast asleep.  A drunk driver lost control of his truck and smashed into the family home, crashing through the garage and below...

Regular readers of our e-newsletter know that, following a tempestuous fall, the federal estate tax seems to be settled for the time being. The IRS recently announced updates to the annual “exclusions” for estate tax and gifting for 2022. The estate tax exclusion is the amount that can pass tax-free to a non-spouse upon your...

For readers of the monthly Bulman Dunie e-newsletter over the last several months, you may have experienced whiplash. In the spring, we offered our first prediction as to possible changes to estate tax laws.  We predicted no change to the federal estate tax exemption, but perhaps a change to cost basis rules. Last month, we...

There is some good news on the horizon for those who have been injured in auto accidents.  The Maryland General Assembly approved an amendment to the State’s Constitution to make court faster and cheaper for those hurt in auto accidents.  Now, Maryland voters will need to vote to approve the change as well. If the...

Anyone who has spent time in the District of Columbia in recent years knows firsthand how prevalent electronic scooters have become. Zipping through parks, on sidewalks, and even on streets—they are everywhere.  The D.C. City Council has noticed too. In December 2020, the D.C. City Council passed new laws, which provide D.C. e-scooter users additional...