A military divorce lawyer can help service members

One of the more difficult kinds of cases that a Maryland divorce lawyer will face has to do with members of the military choosing to end a marriage. There are numerous aspects of a divorce that have to be navigated when it is in a civilian setting. When there are military rules clouding matters, a Howard County divorce lawyer has different duties that must be undertaken to assist a client.

Although military divorces are heard in civilian courts, there are often issues such as deployments, custody of children and pensions that come into play. If one parent is often away on various deployments, it can be difficult to have normal visitation rights, joint custody or full custody of children. In some instances, both parents are members of the military complicating matters even further.

There is currently an attempt to standardize the rules regarding custody for military personnel. Prior deployments cannot be taken into account, but future deployments can. Depending on the state, there are different rules for how the divorce moves forward. A Maryland divorce lawyer will tell a client that a no-fault divorce in the state requires a yearlong separation and separate residences. They must be stationed in the state. For a fault divorce with grounds happening elsewhere, there must be a yearlong residency in the state.

With any kind of divorce, there are important factors that must be considered. These include financial circumstances, child custody, child support, visitation rights, protective orders and how marital property will be divided. Special rules for members of the military may complicated these, as well.

Those who are ending their marriage must understand that their interests must be protected so everything is handled in a fair and equitable way. This is true whether the divorce is amicable or contentious. Some cases can be settled and others need to go to court. Regardless, divorce lawyers can provide competent legal advice to avoid serious problems down the road.

For people in the military, it’s imperative that the situation be fully understood. Having a military divorce lawyer for assistance is a key for military personnel to have competent legal advice. When planning a divorce, discussing the matter with a Maryland divorce lawyer is a wise decision.

Source: The Gazette, “When military and matrimony don’t mix,” Sept. 7, 2014