Maryland Divorce Mediation
Nancy Caplan, Esquire
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Preparation and Education are the best way to reduce your costs when getting a divorce in Maryland.
Below is the link to the form financial statements utilized by the Maryland Courts. Whether you go to mediation or to a lawyer, you will need to complete this form. Do the best you can and don’t be overwhelmed if you don’t know every figure. Try to determine the minimum it will cost each spouse to live in separate residences. If one spouse is planning on leaving the family home, it is a good idea to research the costs (in terms of rent and utilities) of available housing options.
Financial Statement*** Long Form: http://www.courts.state.md.us/family/forms/dr31.pdf Calculation methods to use to arrive at monthly expenses:
A. Bi-weekly expenses x 26 (# of 2-week periods/year) divided by 12 (months)= Monthly B. Weekly expenses x 52 (weeks in a year) divided by 12 (months) = Monthly C. Yearly expenses divided by 12 (months) = Monthly [i.e. variable seasonal expense]
Property and Income Worksheet. This form also provides a list of documents which you may want to review and/or copy to show to your spouse as part of the disclosure (i.e. to know how assets are titled). This form also breaks down the types of income you may have (if applicable) and provides a series of questions relating to details of your property: See Automobile Values: http://www.kbb.com See Property Values: Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation Go to the “Real Property” link. This link contains information about the homes sold in Maryland. By inputting your street address or nearby streets in your neighborhood (generally within a mile) you can find the selling price of “comparable” homes or get the specifics on your own home (square footage, size of lot, etc.) Generally, the only relevant sales are those occurring within the last 6 months. Print out comparables. Look at mapquest.com if you'd like to see precisely where a “comparable” home is located. MARYLAND JUDICIARY - DOMESTIC RELATIONS FORMS forms available from the Court The balance of these sites lead you to so MANY other sites, you can't possibly see them all. Try to stick to specifics relating to Maryland. I can't vouch for the accuracy or completeness of any of these links, but they certainly should give you a working vocabulary of the basics. Collaborative Family Law Society Divorce Source: Maryland Divorce Lawyers, Articles, Professionals and Helpful Resources Martindale.com: Use our lawyer locator or browse our attorney directory
http://www.peoples-law.org/family/divorce/Property%20checklist.pdf
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