What is the fastest way to get a divorce in Maryland?
A divorce is kind of like a vacation. You might be on the fence about it for a while, but once you decide you want to go through with it, it can’t happen fast enough.
Not surprisingly, Covid closures have caused a back-up in the courts in many places and Maryland is no exception. Before Covid, you could get a divorce trial on the court calendar in most Maryland counties within a calendar year. Now, contested matters are getting scheduled out much further. I’ve seen some matters from early 2020 still lingering, having been postponed several times.
The fastest way to get a divorce is hands down to get your matter scheduled for an uncontested, mutual consent divorce hearing. In order to do this, you need to have a signed, written marital settlement agreement that addresses the following:
Division of marital property
Alimony
If there are minor children, child custody and support
This is the bare minimum that the agreement must cover, but of course there may be many other items that you would like to address. There can be a lot to cover and, no matter how impatient you may feel, it’s important to get it right. It’s always a good idea to consult with an experienced family law attorney before signing a marital settlement agreement.
If you’d like to talk through your options, schedule a quick chat today. As an experienced family law attorney who is fully trained in mediation and collaborative law, I’m happy to walk you through your options with the goal of getting you divorced sooner rather than later!
