Custody and Financial Distribution in Maryland 

Released in April 2004, this report analyzes an extensive dataset consisting of domestic cases filed in Maryland during Fiscal Year 1999. The Women’s Law Center embarked on this intensive research project after receiving input from practitioners and litigants, including callers to its family law hotlines, about perceived inequities and inconsistencies in the custody and divorce process in Maryland. Finding that alimony was infrequently requested and awarded, the report recommended changes to spousal support awards, including the development of guidelines. This recommendation eventually resulted in the development of the Kaufman Alimony Guidelines. In addition, the report recommended opposition to a presumption of joint legal custody and increased use of alternative dispute resolution methods.

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