Family law

helping you in family court

Family matters & domestic relations

The Burch Law Firm, LLC is experienced in all facets of family law and mediation and will provide you with zealous representation at all stages of your case. Click the links below to learn more about each of these areas:

Divorce

Divorce is usually among the worst times in a person’s life. Most people are hurt, angry or confused and often worried that they cannot afford the legal representation their case deserves. We have represented clients through thousands of divorces, child custody and support matters as well as Domestic Violence Protective Order hearings. We work hard to represent you while keeping your costs down.

Maryland divorce laws are unique and you need an experienced attorney to advocate on your behalf throughout the entire process. If you or your spouse have resided in Maryland for one year prior to filing for divorce or the grounds for divorce occurred in Maryland, you can file a Complaint for a Limited or Absolute Divorce. A Limited Divorce acts as a court-ordered separation and allows the court to decide important issues like child custody, support and visitation, use and possession of the family home and personal property and temporary alimony before the parties are eligible to file a Complaint Absolute Divorce.

Even though you may not be eligible for a Judgment of Absolute Divorce under Maryland law, you can resolve the immediate issues facing a family going through a marital separation by seeking a Limited Divorce.

When the parties can agree on how they want to resolve these issues, a less expensive and less stressful solution to resolving marital separation issues is for the parties to enter into a contract called a Marital Separation Agreement (see “Separation Agreements” below). At The Burch Law Firm we first try to settle cases wherever possible or reduce the contested issues to avoid unnecessary litigation. But you decide whether to settle your case or whether you want to go to trial. If we go to trial, then we are well-prepared to represent our clients in court. Our clients routinely praise our preparation, knowledge of the issues and the presentation of evidence as well as our zealous advocacy in court.

Many of our clients are military service members and military dependents or retirees who have specific issues in obtaining a divorce. We understand the issues in divorce and separation affecting military pensions, dependant entitlements, and the impact on family and career. We are experienced in handling cases where there are military issues (including security clearances) involved. The Burch Law Firm, LLC, understands the legal process (and the relevant military regulations when there is a military service member involved) and how to obtain our client’s goals without wasting our client’s money.

The Burch Law Firm, LLC, handles all matters related to divorce cases; particularly cases involving military and federal service members, in Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County and throughout the Washington, D.C. and suburban Maryland areas. Get a copy of Larry Burch’s book “Understanding Military Divorce Law” on this website.

Our main office is in Greenbelt (in Prince George’s County) and we have a satellite office in Rockville, Maryland (in Montgomery County). Contact us for a Free initial telephone consultation.

Marital Separation Agreements

Divorce is a division of the marital partnership. The assets that each party acquired during the marriage (with a few exceptions) are considered marital property. The court will determine the value of all marital property on the date of divorce and make an “equitable (or fair) distribution” between the parties.

If the parties can divide their property by agreement, then you can avoid the substantial stress and expense of contested litigation. At The Burch Law Firm, LLC, we are experienced in negotiating Marital Separation Agreements in Maryland and D.C. particularly in cases involving military pensions and Veteran’s benefits.

A Marital Separation Agreement is a binding contract between the parties dividing their marital assets, and often resolving issues like alimony, child custody and support and tax and insurance issues. At The Burch Law Firm, we understand how the courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia decide such cases so that we are able to negotiate a fair agreement for our clients. If the opposition refuses to be reasonable and the case must go to court, then we are always well-prepared for trial and present all the evidence necessary to protect our client’s interests.

Finding marital property that the other party does not want to disclose is the first job of a divorce attorney. Then, we present evidence for a fair distribution of that property in court. Finally, we help you navigate the post-divorce process to claim your share of the marital assets; including any interest in a military pension or retirement savings account or real property.

We handle property division cases for clients in Washington, D.C., Montgomery, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel Counties and throughout the D.C. and suburban Maryland area. Our main office is in Greenbelt (in Prince George’s County) and we have a satellite office in Rockville, Maryland (in Montgomery County). Contact us for a Free initial telephone consultation.

Child Support

At The Burch Law Firm, we handle difficult or complex child support cases. Each parent’s income is a big part of determining the amount of child support required in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Often a parent will hide income (particularly when the parent is self-employed or does side work) to avoid paying child support required by the law. At The Burch Law Firm we are experienced in finding income that the other parent is trying to hide so that your children receive all the child support they are entitled to.

If you are being sued for child support, the lawyers at The Burch Law Firm help you present all evidence necessary to reduce your child support payment. When children need special therapy, orthodontia or other health care not fully covered by insurance, or private school tuition, we help parents present their side of these special issues to the courts in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Also, we have experience getting dependent support ordered through the military service member’s command. Each military service has a different set of dependent support requirements. The lawyers at The Burch Law Firm understand the military dependent support regulations and how to get support for our clients by contacting the service member’s command.

Conversely, since we know about each military service’s dependent support requirements and what a command can and cannot do in requiring dependent support, we often help military service members defend themselves against non-support claims made to the service member’s command. We help protect your military career from these charges by helping service members stay in compliance with the military dependent support guidelines.

Get a copy of Larry Burch’s book “Understanding Military Divorce Law” on this website.
We handle all matters related to child support cases; particularly cases involving military service members, in Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County as well as in southern Maryland and throughout the Washington, D.C. and suburban Maryland areas.

Our main office is in Greenbelt (in Prince George’s County) and we have a satellite office in Rockville, Maryland (in Montgomery County). Contact us for a Free initial telephone consultation.

Child Custody

Custody of Your Child: No issue is more important or more difficult and requires more legal experience than deciding custody of a child or children. Deciding where a child will live and who will make educational and health care decisions for your child plays a critical role in the child’s future. The child custody decision also impacts child support, the use of the family home as well as alimony. At The Burch Law Firm, we have 25 years of experience handling complex child custody cases.

Because the issue is so important, determining child custody requires an experienced attorney who understands the issues and evidence necessary to win these cases. We understand the issues involved and know how to navigate the legal process (including when it is best to involve a custody evaluator, psychologist or best interest attorney). Often evidence generated by a custody or psychological evaluation proves compelling in settling a case and saves our clients the costs of litigation.

Where there is a military service member involved, child custody cases can be more difficult. In these cases, custody of the child also impacts the service member’s entitlement to military housing or housing allowance and other important issues. The Burch Law Firm has experience in dealing with military issues for people facing divorce and child custody cases and we know the relevant law and military regulations involved.

Get a copy of Larry Burch’s book “Understanding Military Divorce Law” on this website. Contact us for a Free initial telephone consultation.

Visitation and Access to Your Child: Even if you are not trying to get primary custody of your child, you have a fundamental right to participate in your child’s upbringing. If you have not abused your child, it is usually in your child’s best interests that you and your child develop and maintain a strong relationship. Courts favor regular access between a parent and child because it is usually in the best interests of the child. If your child’s parent is denying your access to your child, you should take legal action.

At The Burch Law Firm, we often represent parents who are being denied access to their children. We believe it is important that the rights of non-custodial parents be represented because it is important for the child’s healthy growth and development. If a parent is late or behind on child support payments, it does not mean that parent should be denied access to his or her child.

At The Burch Law Firm, LLC, we handle all matters related to child custody (and access); particularly cases involving military service members, in Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County and throughout the Washington, D.C. and suburban Maryland areas.

Get a copy of Larry Burch’s book “Understanding Military Divorce Law” on this website. Our main office is in Greenbelt (in Prince George’s County) and we have a satellite office in Rockville, Maryland (in Montgomery County). Contact us for a Free initial telephone consultation

Property/debt/pension division

Maryland is known as an “equitable distribution” state concerning marital property (as opposed to a “community property” state). If the parties are unable to reach a settlement about dividing their marital property, the court will take the following three-step approach to dividing the marital assets:

  1. First, the court will determine which property is “marital property” and which property is non-marital;
  2. Second, the court will assign a monetary value to the marital property, and;
  3. Third, the Court will distribute the marital assets between the two parties “equitably” (or fairly).

Discovering all of the marital assets and presenting a compelling case concerning a fair distribution of assets and debts can be difficult in any divorce. You should have attorneys working for you who know the law, know what they are doing and work zealously on your behalf. The attorneys at Burch Law Firm will use their skill and experience to present the most compelling case to the court to preserve a fair distribution of the marital assets.

Don’t leave it to chance or hope for a good outcome. Once the parties agree to a division of the marital property, the decision is usually binding and cannot be reversed! Whether you hire us or another experienced attorney, you should have strong legal representation when negotiating or litigating the division of marital assets and debts.

Contact us to speak with an experienced attorney for a free initial consultation.

Use & Possession of Family Home

If you are separated from your spouse and have minor child/ren, you may be able to reside in your marital home for up to three years. The Court can award use and possession of the family home and family use personal property, to the parent with primary physical custody of the minor child/ren. The attorneys at Burch Law Firm will evaluate your case and fight for you and your children to stay in your home.

Spousal Support/Alimony

Alimony can be awarded to a party pendente lite (temporarily to the final merits hearing), for a limited number of months or year or indefinitely. There are many factors that the Court weighs when deciding whether or not to grant alimony to a spouse. Whether you are seeking alimony or defending against a claim for alimony, the experienced attorneys at Burch Law Firm have the knowledge and skill needed to evaluate your case and aggressively advocate for you in Court.

Military Divorce Issues

If you are a military member, or the spouse of a military member, you should have an attorney that is familiar with the specific issues (such as military pay and allowances, medical benefits, housing benefits, pensions, survivor benefit plans, etc.) that impact military members or their dependents during a divorce. The attorneys of Burch Law Firm are knowledgeable about military issues and benefits and have represented hundreds of military members or their spouses. We offer free consultations and reduced rates to military members or their dependents.

Domestic Violence Protective Order

No case is more emotional and more urgent that a case involving an allegation of domestic violence. A Protective Order hearing is an emergency hearing where one party is asking the court for protection from domestic violence or harassment. Whether you are the victim of domestic violence or being accused of domestic violence, you need an experienced attorney on your side. The outcome of a Protective Order can have a profound impact on your child custody and support case as well as on your career – particularly where you have a security clearance or are a military service member.

At The Burch Law Firm, we have represented hundreds of clients at Protective Order hearings usually with successful results. We can prepare quickly and help you present your case in court.

We handle Domestic Violence Protective Order cases in Washington, D.C., Montgomery, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel Counties and throughout the D.C. and suburban Maryland area. Our main office is located in Greenbelt (in Prince George’s County) and we have a satellite office in Rockville, Maryland (in Montgomery County). Contact us for a Free initial telephone consultation.

Child Abuse & Neglect

In CINA (child in need of assistance) cases parents are fighting to retain custody of their children. If your child has been removed from your home or a child protective services representative has contacted you because you are being investigated, contact the experienced attorneys at Burch Law Firm who will advocate for you and your children. Our attorneys can help you negotiate with the court to ensure that you take the necessary steps to keep your family together.

If there are concurrent criminal charges stemming from the same incident, we may be able to represent you in a criminal proceeding as well. Contact our lawyers to preserve your rights and to fight for your family.

Contact us today for a
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Our team is ready to help you preserve your rights.

Disclaimer: the information contained in this page is intended to be a general review of the topics discussed. Because each case is unique, you should discuss your case with a qualified attorney before relying on the information provided. By providing this information, there is no intent to establish an attorney-client relationship.