Lawyer in Germantown, Maryland: Marital Property Division

Focused on Helping You Meet Your Goals

At The Law Offices of Jonathan J. Biedron, LLC, I bring over two decades of experience to men and women throughout Montgomery County in Maryland who are involved in marital property disputes. As a sole practitioner, I work directly with you throughout the process, keeping you continually apprised of all developments in your case, helping you understand your options moving forward, and involving you in all decisions. I listen carefully to all your questions and concerns, so that I can help you find customized solutions that meet your needs.

For a reduced-fee consultation, contact my office or call me at 301-916-2900.

Helping You With the Equitable Division of Marital Property

Maryland is an Equitable Distribution state, and I will help you obtain an equitable distribution of all property obtained during the course of your marriage, whether the property is in your name or your spouse’s name. This includes real and personal property, bank accounts and investments, retirement funds and business assets.

I will also take into account any non-marital property, that is, property that can be ‘traced’ to before the marriage, or to an inheritance or gift during the marriage.

I will work closely with you to try to and obtain an equitable result, whether from a Judge or Magistrate, or by a property settlement agreement. As a general rule, you and your spouse can agree to divide the marital property as you see fit, and the court will not question whether it is "equitable." However, if you cannot agree and must go to court, the court will compile an inventory of all marital property and divide the assets in a way that it determines to be fair. This can include the transfer of money or property from one spouse to the other to balance the distribution.

What About Marital Debt?

Clients often have questions about the division of marital debt. The closest thing Maryland has to “marital debt” is an obligation that is tied to an asset, like a mortgage to a house, or a loan to a car.  In these cases, the Court will subtract the debt from the net value of the asset to determine its fair market value. However, the Court cannot “transfer” marital debt. The most the Court can do is take the debt into account in determining what distribution of property is equitable. Thus, all financial obligations will remain in the name of the person in whose name the debt was incurred. For example, credit card debt will remain in the name of the person on the account, regardless of who charged the items. If debt is legally in the names of both parties, then both parties will be responsible for the entire amount of the debt.

Nonetheless, either party can still agree to assume a debt of the other party. I will work with you to make sure debts are taken into account, whether in front of a Judge or Magistrate, or in an agreement between the parties.  

Contact the Jonathan J. Biedron Law Offices

I encourage you to contact me by e-mail or call me at 301-916-2900. All initial consultations are offered at a reduced fee. I am available to meet with clients between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday. For your convenience, I accept Visa and MasterCard.

I offer competitive rates.