Baltimore & Towson Lawyer Discusses Custody For Children Born Outside of Marriage in Maryland.
Custody issues can be emotional, complex, and downright messy for all parties involved. However, when a child’s parents were never married to begin with, custody disputes can become even more complicated. With marriage rates in the United States at record lows, these types of custody cases are becoming more and more commonplace.
As a recent article in the New York Observer points out, couples with children who separate after having never been married often end up in a kind of limbo-state, some times for years, until one parent or the other hires a Baltimore child custody lawyer or files some sort of action in court. This situation is becoming quite common; more than half of the children born to women under the age of 30 have unwed parents. Instead of living with married parents, children live in single-parent households, households in which parents cohabitate, or other types of adult living arrangements, often with other family members. Furthermore, statistics show that by the time a child reaches the age of 10, his or her parents are far more likely to have split up if they are unmarried than if they are married; 66% of unmarried couples have split up by that time, whereas only 28% of married couples have split up. Whatever the reasoning may be, going through the formal process of marriage seems to encourage couples to stay together through difficult times and try harder to work out any relationship issues.
Some unmarried parents who ultimately split choose to handle matters related to their child on an informal basis. They make financial arrangements by sharing a bank account or allocating necessary expenses in some way. They also may be able to mutually agree upon a custody and visitation schedule that works for them and their child or children. These parents are the fortunate ones who are able to maintain their lives outside of an often-intrusive court system.
On the other hand, some unmarried parents who split up are unable to resolve matters on their own. Parents who have lived together for a long period of time may not only have property and debt issues to address, but they may be in constant conflict about how much time the child should spend with each parent and how to finance the child’s needs. In these cases, it may be necessary to retain a Baltimore child custody lawyer in order to help resolve these issues. The parties may be able to reach agreement through more informal means such as mediation. However, more contested cases may have to resort to the court system for a ruling by a judge as to which parent is best suited to have primary custody of the child, and what type of visitation the other parent should have.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, you may need to consult a Baltimore child custody lawyer for information about your rights and how you may wish to proceed in your case. Contact our office today and see how we can help.
Call (410) 321-4994 For a Free Consultation
Call The Law Offices of Amar S. Weisman at (410) 321-4994 to schedule a Free Consultation. The Purpose of the consultation is to determine whether you want to retain this law firm as your Baltimore County & Harford County Family Lawyer. If you do wish to proceed, then you must pay a retainer. See Our Policy on Fees and Costs. The family firm is located next to The Circuit Court for Baltimore County, at 1018 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, MD 21204.
