Getting a divorce in Baltimore

Baltimore: State law, county courts, city courts

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[Note: Please also see “Divorce in Maryland.”]

An ‘independent city’

Baltimore-area residents have an unusual fact of governmental life in that the City of  Baltimore is not part of Baltimore County, having separated as an independent city in 1851.

The home page for the Circuit Court of Baltimore City says, “The Circuit Court for Baltimore City is a State trial court of unlimited jurisdiction. It handles all types of cases and is divided into four main divisions: Family, Juvenile, Criminal, and Civil. The Family Division hears cases pertaining to divorce, custody and child support and the Juvenile Docket handles delinquency cases, child in need of assistance cases, and those involving the termination of parental rights.”

More online resources

Other online resources for Baltimore City include:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Domestic Violence (about which, again, see more at the “Divorce in Maryland” post)
• Domestic Relations forms
• Family Docket page
• Emergency Hearings
• People’s Law Library

Baltimore County Family Law

For those outside the City of Baltimore but within Baltimore County, the county’s portal to family law has a section on collaborative law that many might find useful:

Collaborative Law

Collaborative law is a new dispute resolution model in which both parties to the dispute retain separate, specially-trained lawyers whose only job is to help them settle the dispute.  All participants agree to work together respectfully, honestly and in good faith to try to find “win-win” solutions to the problems in the dispute.  Parties enter into a contract, agreeing not go to court, or even threaten to do so.  If a party does decide to go to court, the collaborative law process terminates and both lawyers are disqualified from any further involvement in the case.  Lawyers hired for a collaborative law representation can never, under any circumstances, go to court for the clients who retained them.

You can get more information about collaborative law by contacting the following organizations:

The Maryland Collaborative Law Association, 410-828-6075 (contact person: Susan Land, Esquire); or
The Collaborative Family Law Society, 301-907-4580 (contact person: James Gross, Esquire).

Cooperative Co-Education Classes/Office of Family Mediation
County Courts Building, 401 Bosley Avenue, Room 515
410-887-6570

This division offers free classes designed to assist concerned parents in focusing on their children’s needs during separation and divorce. Separate classes for children are also offered.

Family Law Assistance Project (FLAP)
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service 410-547-6537

This is a free program for low and moderate income individuals filing for divorce and custody without a lawyer (pro se). This program combines self-help classes with optional family and individual counseling. Evening classes meet monthly in the County Courts Building.

Free evaluation

We can help. If you’re ready to begin the search for a compatible, well trained, experienced divorce attorney, you can start with our free case evaluation. If you need more information, please browse our site, using the tabs at the top of the page.