Practice Areas: Divorce
    When two persons get married, they enter into a binding legal contract which has with it certain rights and obligations. Divorce is the process of severing and disengagement of the marital contract. In Maryland, there are two different levels of divorce, known as a Limited Divorce and Absolute Divorce. The Absolute Divorce fully and finally severs the marital relationship, and resolves all of the matters between the spouses which arise from the marriage. One example of this is that after an Absolute Divorce has been obtained then each person is free to marry someone else, but not before. Another example is the division of certain property which may be subject to being divided as part of the divorce process. A Limited Divorce is more akin to the Court legally recognizing the separation of the spouses in anticipation of the eventual Absolute Divorce, and in a Limited Divorce how far the Court can go in severing the rights and obligations of the spouses is subject to limitations.
    Very important in the divorce process is determining and pursuing that to which a person is entitled, since if a person may have been able to pursue a right but did not do so then the right may be lost after the divorce is granted by the Court. Examples of this include marital property rights and alimony. There is often much more to a divorce case than just getting the divorce itself.
    It can be quite confusing and complicated. Do you know the law? Do you know how the law applies to the facts of your case? Do you know the procedures you would have to follow, such as what papers to file and the rules of evidence, so that even after you get in front of the Judge you are able to show why you should get what you should get? Shouldn't you find out? Shouldn't you have someone to protect your rights and interests? Only an attorney can do so for you.
    Since 1986, Donald J. Arnold has been successfully representing individuals concerning divorce. Mr Arnold is authorized to practice law in all state and federal trial and appeals courts covering Maryland. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland Law School, with honors, 1986, and was admitted to the Maryland Bar that same year, having passed the Bar Exam on the first attempt. He was admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in 1987, the U.S. Court of Appeals (Fourth Circuit) in 1991, and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993.
    For more information or an appointment call (410) 838-2542 or 1-888-808-8429 toll free outside Harford County. Mr Arnold prefers initial potential client contact to be by telephone or appointment in person, with use of e-mail being reserved for existing clients after an appropriate attorney-client relationship has been formally established.
    Legalese translated into real people talk.