Maryland Family Law Maryland family law opinions and commentary

In recent months, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Baltimore has been shocked by the murders of two sets of siblings at the hands of their caregivers. In July of 2021, an officer conducting a routine traffic stop, found ...

The coronavirus pandemic has affected all our lives and prompted changes in some form or another. It has led to businesses closing, schools shutting down and doctors switching to telehealth rather than in-person visits. As a result, children have been ...

On June 30, 2021, the Court of Special Appeals issued its reported opinion in the matter of In re M., No. 807, Sept. Term 2020 (Md. Ct. Spec. App., decided June 30, 2021), affirming the lower court’s grant of custody ...

Seven-year-old G.T. was removed from her mother’s custody by Baltimore City’s Department of Social Services  after being left alone by her mother in a motel room overnight. In the subsequent CINA proceeding, G.T. was sheltered to BCDSS based on the ...

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a concern has arisen on the effects of this virus on the risk of lead poisoning for Maryland’s children. Efforts to keep children safe led to remote schooling, the closure of child care ...

Recently, a question has arisen concerning whether foster parents should automatically be identified as parties in Child In Need of Assistance (“CINA”) proceedings, thereby expanding their role. In juvenile court, the parties to a proceeding are specifically designated by statute ...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far-reaching, resulting in the shuttering of businesses, increased unemployment, school closures, and government-mandated shelter-in-place orders. Maryland’s judicial system, too, had to make significant changes to its procedures and limit in-person court proceedings. ...

A Child In Need of Assistance (“CINA”) requires the Juvenile Court’s protection, because the court has determined that the child was abused and/or neglected and the parent(s) are unable or unwilling to provide proper care and attention.  Md. Code Ann., ...

80% of success is showing up. — Woody Allen There is a lot of truth to the ancient proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The proper rearing of children is not only the individual responsibility of parents, but also a ...

For many of the professionals involved in representing children in foster care, the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted their mobility, social lives, family gatherings and more. Most of these professionals retain their jobs and work from home, collecting sick pay or ...