Family Law in Edgewood, MD

Legal help with family law for Edgewood, Maryland residents from The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon in Towson.

The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC provides family law assistance for people in Edgewood. The information below explains the issues to discuss with an attorney and connects you with the firm’s original Maryland service guide.

Working with our Towson office from Edgewood

Edgewood is in Harford County, Maryland. The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC serves this area from 1107 Kenilworth Drive, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21204. This is the firm’s Towson office, not a separate office in this community.

Maryland law applies throughout the service area. Where a matter must be filed depends on the type of proceeding and the facts, not simply on the location of the attorney’s office. Discuss residence, existing orders, and any pending case at your consultation.

Read the Harford County service-area guide for the original local context.

Family law covers the legal relationships that continue after a marriage or a relationship ends: who makes decisions for the children, where the children live, who pays support and how much, and what happens when circumstances change years later. The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC handles these matters for clients in Towson and throughout Baltimore County.

Divorce is often the entry point, but family law issues arise for parents who were never married, and they frequently return long after a case is closed.

Custody and parenting time

Maryland separates two different questions. Legal custody is the authority to make long term decisions about education, religious training, discipline and non emergency medical care. Physical custody is where the child actually lives and who handles day to day care. Either can be sole or shared, and the two do not have to match.

Courts decide custody on the best interests of the child. There is no presumption in favor of either parent and no single factor controls. See legal custody, physical custody, parenting plans and visitation, or our child custody practice page.

Child support

Maryland uses an income shares model that combines both parents’ adjusted actual incomes and accounts for health insurance for the child, work related child care and extraordinary medical expenses. The guidelines are presumed correct, and a party who wants a different number has to show the guideline amount would be unjust and inappropriate.

Read more about child support in Maryland.

Alimony and spousal support

Alimony is not automatic and there is no formula. A court weighs twelve statutory factors, and indefinite alimony is limited to narrow circumstances. Most awards are rehabilitative, meaning they run for a defined period while the receiving spouse becomes self supporting. See alimony and spousal support.

Changing or enforcing an order

Custody and child support orders can be revisited when there is a material change in circumstances. Enforcement is a different question from modification, and the remedy depends on which one you actually need. See enforcing or modifying a divorce, custody or support order.

Adoption and premarital agreements

Step-parent adoption, where consent from the child’s other legal parent is usually the deciding issue.
Prenuptial agreements, what they can settle in advance and what Maryland will not let them decide.

Official Maryland resources

Talk with a Towson family law attorney

Every divorce and custody matter turns on its own facts. The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC offers a free consultation so you can get straight answers about your situation before you decide what to do next.

Call (410) 847-9075 or request a consultation online. The office is at 1107 Kenilworth Drive, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21204.

This page provides general information about Maryland law. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Maryland law changes, and how it applies depends on the facts of your case.

Family Law resources

Read the full Maryland family law guide. Bring relevant agreements, court papers, financial records, and a list of questions that relate to your situation. If you have received papers with a deadline, tell the office when you contact us.

Other services in Edgewood

Discuss your situation

or call (410) 847-9075. Advice about your particular matter requires a consultation. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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