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Tydings & Rosenberg’s family law practice is one of the most respected in the state.  Our referrals come from all around Maryland and across the region.  Our breadth of experience and our reputation for being tenacious yet compassionate have made us the largest family law practice in the Baltimore area.  Knowledgeable about all phases of family law, we help settle complicated family disputes, including marital property, child custody, visitation, and child support issues, with sensitivity and aplomb.

We are also renowned as mediators, helping resolve impasses in complex marital property clashes, such as those involving alimony, child support, and contentious child custody battles.  Family law attorneys at other firms often turn to us to mediate their most challenging cases.

Close personal attention

Family disputes are almost always traumatic.  We strive to minimize the frustrations that clients inevitably face, encouraging mediation and negotiation whenever possible.  We are a small enough firm to give clients the one-on-one attention they deserve, yet large enough to provide the versatility their situations often require.  With tax, real estate, estates and trusts, litigation, and other practice groups under one roof, we ensure that our family law clients’ needs are met, regardless of their complexity.

Evaluating marital property

Properly evaluating marital property is vital in any family law dispute.  With a full range of legal services within our firm, Tydings' clients benefit from the sound advice of all our practice areas, including tax, real estate, estate planning, pensions and other employee benefits, and bankruptcy.  We routinely evaluate professional practices, business interests, retirement plans, and other forms of investments, and offer strategic advice involving the valuation and division of assets.

Building a support network

Tydings' relationships with a prestigious array of accountants, financial planners, real estate and insurance brokers, and therapists, help provide seamless support to clients.  We are especially aware of how divorce can affect children, and we are well versed in drafting agreements designed to protect children’s emotional and financial well-being.

Matrimonial law

Our matrimonial law experience is unsurpassed.  We represent clients in divorce, custody, support, visitation, and other matters.  We also work with clients to negotiate and draft pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, separation agreements, and actions for annulment and divorce, including:

• Pre-divorce and post-divorce planning;
• Division of property;
• Alimony, support and maintenance;
• Child custody and visitation matters;
• Grandparent visitation;
• Post-divorce modification of alimony, child support, custody, and visitation;
• Custody issues related to relocation to other states and countries;
• Termination of parental rights;
• Appeals to Maryland’s appellate courts; and
• Mediation in resolving complex marital property issues.

Adoptions and Guardianships

We assist clients in arranging domestic and foreign adoptions and guardianships. Our attorneys are familiar with all stages of the adoption process and the legal hurdles that must be cleared before new parents can bring their child home. Our family law team has the experience necessary to anticipate and head off problems before they arise, domestically as well as in foreign countries.

Leadership

Tydings has taken on many leadership roles within the legal and family law communities.  Herbert Belgrad, who co-chairs the firm’s Family Law practice group, has served as President of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Bar Association of Baltimore City.  He has also held numerous positions within the American Bar Association, including Council Member of the ABA Family Law Section.

Ferrier Stillman, who co-chairs the practice group, serves on the Custody Subcommittee of the Maryland Judicial Conference and is a former co-chair of the Baltimore City Bar Association’s Family Law Committee.  Ms. Stillman has twice been honored by The Daily Record as one of the state’s “Top 100 Women.”

Representative matters

• Represented a client in one of the largest marital property cases on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, arguing successfully for the appointment of a receiver to control the opposing party’s assets – a rare ruling in a Maryland divorce case.
• Represented many clients in international custody disputes involving the Hague Convention and other international treaties.
• Negotiated many complex property settlement agreements for clients, in which the valuation and division of substantial assets were in dispute, such as businesses, partnerships, professional practices, investments, and retirement plans.
• Handled complex custody and visitation cases involving sophisticated issues of psychology, medicine, education, substance abuse and learning and developmental disabilities.
• Represented clients in the negotiation and drafting of complex ante-nuptial agreements, including those in which large and diverse assets were acquired prior to marriage.
• Successfully represented clients in challenging ante-nuptial agreements that fail to meet the standard of a valid and enforceable ante-nuptial agreement.