How to File for Divorce in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia (Legal Survival Guides) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Michael F. Callahan (Author) "We all get married till death do us part and for better or worse..." (more)
Key Phrases: complaint for absolute divorce, uncontested divorce hearing, basic child support obligation, Separation Agreement, United States, Virginia Code (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Specific divorce issues and concerns about children, spousal support, mediation, separation and paternity are addressed in a general manner in the first section of the book. Subsequent sections discuss state-specific details.

Complete and thorough appendices are designed for each area. Relevant state statutes, blank, tear-out forms and state-specific resources are also included.

About the Author

James J. Gross received his J.D. from the University of Missouri. He was formerly an attorney with the Federal Communications Commission. Mr. Gross is a managing partner and has practiced in the areas of family and business law and civil litigation for over 20 years. He is licensed to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia. He resides in Potomac, Maryland.

Michael F. Callahan received his J.D. from Georgetown University. Formerly with the Internal Revenue Service, he has practiced in the areas of family law, tax controversies and bankruptcy. Mr. Callahan has written several articles and lectured on many topics, including the tax aspects of divorce. He is licensed to practice in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Sphinx Publishing; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572482400
• ISBN-13: 978-1572482401
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #847,368 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #32 in

  Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Business > Consumer Law

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Provides ok background, but don't rely on it, January 18, 2005

By	xt56kxz84jg "xt56kxz84jg" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Feel free to look through this book to learn the basic concepts that you'll need to know if you're going through a divorce, but do _not_ rely on this book alone without consulting an expert, _even_ if your divorce is simple and uncontested.

One of the most important things that this book provides is sample documents for filing in the various jurisdictions. However, it does not do that well.

I attempted to use the sample "Bill of Complaint" to file in Virginia. However, I found out _after_ I got to court that the sample form is completely inadequate. It fails to make key requests, such as that the Court grant a divorce, and that the Court merge a settlement agreement into the Divorce Decree. Fortunately, the Court Clerk was kind enough to point this out to me so I could redo my papers.

My advice to the do-it-yourselfer: Instead of buying this book, go to your local Courthouse, request to see other divorce files (which are all public records, by the way), and look at enough examples until you are comfortable enough to do your own. There's no shame in copying language from a lawyer's filings in a substantially similar case.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This came along at just the right time!, March 6, 2003

By A Customer

I had decided that enough was enough, but was concerned as to whether I could be on my own and still take care of the children. After reading the information provided in this book, I realized that there were legal ways to make my husband help. I was not interested in destroying his life----just taking our children and starting over. Having information that was specific to my state of Virginia gave me the cnfidence I needed to move forward and talk with an attorney.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome advice! Wouldn't get a pro se divorce without it!, January 19, 2006

By	K. Hall "teachmepcs" (Odenton, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book helped me get through what could have been a messy divorce. Thanks to their advice, I was able to get the divorce finalized quickly with a seperation agreement. This book is very thorough and self-explainatory.