Archive: Family Law

A “Child Privilege Attorney’”(known in short as a CPA) is an attorney who can be appointed by the Court on behalf of the minor child (or minor children) in contested custody actions when the child has undergone mental health treatment or therapy. Just as adults enjoy privilege with mental health providers, children have a privilege...

In high-conflict custody cases, often each parent has an attorney to be their advocate and voice.  But shouldn’t children also have an opportunity to be heard?  And if so, how?   What is a Best Interest Attorney? A “Best Interest Attorney” (sometimes referred to as a ‘guardian ad litem’) is a court-appointed attorney who represents...

While the media excitedly predicted a spike in divorce rates due to the pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on the BDBF family law practice has been much more nuanced. For example, clients who are already divorced re-evaluated alimony and child support obligations due to the loss of one or both parents’ incomes. Custody time-sharing...

During the COVID-19 crisis, we have seen an increased demand for prenuptial agreements (or “prenups”) across all demographics, but particularly among millennials. On average, Americans are waiting longer to get married. This, in turn, means that people are getting married after having accumulated greater wealth and maturity. As a result, people are finding there is...

The battle over 128 overnights has ended! Many divorcing parents in Maryland fought to obtain 128 overnights of access to a child per year. Having 128 overnights meant that a parent was deemed to have “shared custody” for child support calculations. Less than 128 overnights meant that the other parent was deemed to have “sole custody”...

Many families have adjusted their lives during the COVID-19 crisis to accommodate the demands of virtual learning for children and parents working from home.  We hear from our clients that parents are dividing their custodial time differently to accommodate the unique demands of life during the pandemic. For many of our family law clients, these...

After more than thirty years practicing family law at Bulman Dunie, Nancy B. Farren, Esq. has transitioned to an “Of Counsel” role at the firm. Nancy began working at the firm in 1989, when John F. Burke, Esq. (1929-2019), hired her as his associate. When Nancy made partner, she was the first female ever to...