If you are going through a divorce, it is highly beneficial for the parties involved to engage in the mediation process. Mediation is a voluntary settlement process that both parties can participate in to resolve their marital disputes, which can include marital property, child custody, and child support.

It is important that both parties prepare for mediation if they choose to participate in it. This choice to participate in mediation is important because it gives the parties control to make their own decisions about how to handle their marital property and child custody issues rather than a judge having to do so. They will have to put the work in to make it successful. This may include meeting with their respective attorneys prior to the mediation so that they can be properly advised as to the process and expected outcomes. They parties should also show up prepared to the mediation with a list of all assets and debts and any other records that may help the process along. The parties should set out their reasonable expectations and goals for the mediation. Finally, the parties should always keep the best interests of the minor children in mind when discussing legal and physical custody. When discussing issues regarding marital property and assets, the parties should consider how each decision will affect the minor children.

Choosing to participate in mediation is an important step in a divorce. For more information on how to prepare for mediation or to speak with a family law attorney, please contact us at (443) 741-2567 and we would be happy to meet with you.

The Law Office of Neveen H. Kurtom, LLC, a family law firm that serves clients throughout Maryland, proudly announces that Neveen Kurtom has been listed among the 2022 Maryland Super Lawyers. Kurtom believes this recognition reflects the firm’s years of dedicated service and the high level of legal expertise it provides to its clients. She said, “This firm was founded on the premise that everyone deserves a trusted advisor and skilled legal advocate. I am honored to have that acknowledged by Super Lawyers.”

Super Lawyers is a designation of top-rated practicing attorneys selected through extensive evaluation. Kurtom was awarded this distinction for 2016 - 2022.

In Maryland, paternity must be established either by admission or through the court. Paternity can be established either by 1) marital presumption; 2) a court order establishing the father as the legal father; or 3) by signing an Affidavit of Parentage at the time the child is born. An Affidavit of Parentage is a voluntary document that can be signed by the unmarried parents at the child’s birth. If the parents want to sign it at the hospital, the hospital staff will help them complete it free of charge. The parents can also take the form with them home, complete it and notarize it, and then ensure that the Maryland Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records receives it.

Establishing paternity is beneficial. It allows the father to be listed on the child’s birth certificate and it allows the child to have the benefit a father-child relationship. It also allows the child important benefits like, among other things, financial support, social security, veteran’s benefits, life insurance, and health insurance.

Genetic testing will be necessary if a parent wants a court order to establish paternity unless the father admits under oath (either in court or in a pleading) that he is the father. Conversely, if a parent wants to disestablish paternity, that will largely depend on how paternity was established in the first place. If you have any questions about establishing paternity, please contact us at (443) 741-2567 and we would be happy to discuss your legal options with you.