Maryland Divorce Law: An Overview
Under Maryland Law, you have the right to represent yourself in all legal cases, including divorce. The legal term for representing yourself is "pro se", which is Latin for "on your own behalf." However, representing the case by one own self is not a good idea for everyone. It is important to understand that by representing yourself, you may not be able to defend important rights. For instance, it is very important for you to find out if your spouse has a pension, retirement account, insurance or other significant property before you decide whether to file your own divorce. If you miss these things while filling for your divorce, you may give them up forever.
Before you file for divorce on your own, you need to talk to your spouse, if possible, and find out how he/she feels about the divorce and about the issues mentioned above. This will give you an indication whether you and your spouse are on the same ground and ready to face a complex scenario. Or you need to hire an experienced lawyer that will conduct the process in a much professional way sort out things for the betterment of both of you. Thus, discussion regarding divorce and property will let you know how exactly to proceed with the divorce case.
Property and Debt Division in a Maryland Divorce [http://www.bwgmarylandlawyers.com/Maryland-Divorce.asp]
Maryland is an "equitable property" state. This means that all marital property acquired during the marriage should be divided equally. The "marital" property, consisting of any other property acquired by either spouse during the marriage, will be divided equally, unless the court finds that equal division would be unjust. Any property possessed by either spouse during the marriage is presumed to be marital property unless it can be shown that the property is actually separate property. A court can determine the rights of the spouses in any pension or retirement plan or their rights under any insurance policy.
How is property divided in divorce condition?
It is common for a divorcing couple to decide about dividing their property. Apart from property, the debts that the couple has, also needs to be divided amongst them. It is better to solve this matter in person rather than leaving it to the judge or to the court. But, if a couple cannot reach a point of consent, they can submit their property details and dispute to the court, which will use state law to divide the property.
Division of property does not necessarily mean a physical division. Rather, the court awards each spouse a percentage of the total value of the property. Each spouse gets items whose worth adds up to his or her percentage. That is why; it is illegal for either spouse to hide assets in order to shield them from property division.
Before you file for divorce on your own, you need to talk to your spouse, if possible, and find out how he/she feels about the divorce and about the issues mentioned above. This will give you an indication whether you and your spouse are on the same ground and ready to face a complex scenario. Or you need to hire an experienced lawyer that will conduct the process in a much professional way sort out things for the betterment of both of you. Thus, discussion regarding divorce and property will let you know how exactly to proceed with the divorce case.
Property and Debt Division in a Maryland Divorce [http://www.bwgmarylandlawyers.com/Maryland-Divorce.asp]
Maryland is an "equitable property" state. This means that all marital property acquired during the marriage should be divided equally. The "marital" property, consisting of any other property acquired by either spouse during the marriage, will be divided equally, unless the court finds that equal division would be unjust. Any property possessed by either spouse during the marriage is presumed to be marital property unless it can be shown that the property is actually separate property. A court can determine the rights of the spouses in any pension or retirement plan or their rights under any insurance policy.
How is property divided in divorce condition?
It is common for a divorcing couple to decide about dividing their property. Apart from property, the debts that the couple has, also needs to be divided amongst them. It is better to solve this matter in person rather than leaving it to the judge or to the court. But, if a couple cannot reach a point of consent, they can submit their property details and dispute to the court, which will use state law to divide the property.
Division of property does not necessarily mean a physical division. Rather, the court awards each spouse a percentage of the total value of the property. Each spouse gets items whose worth adds up to his or her percentage. That is why; it is illegal for either spouse to hide assets in order to shield them from property division.
Source...