Always on your side
Attorney Pawnee A. Davis has nearly two decades of experience representing clients in divorce and family-law matters. She listens carefully to each client’s concerns, evaluates the legal and financial issues, and develops a strategy tailored to the client’s priorities and circumstances.
Her approach combines family-law experience with the analytical training she developed during a decade at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. That background is particularly valuable in divorces involving complicated income, property, retirement benefits, business interests, financial records, or disputed factual narratives.
Clients receive candid advice, careful preparation, and representation focused on protecting their legal and financial interests while pursuing practical and well-supported outcomes.
Divorce in Maryland
Absolute Divorce
In Maryland, a divorce may be contested or uncontested. Maryland law currently recognizes three grounds for absolute divorce: six-month separation, irreconcilable differences, and mutual consent.
Even when the ground for divorce is not disputed, the parties may still disagree about the identification, valuation, and distribution of marital property; alimony; custody; child support; attorney’s fees; or other financial and family issues. Those disputes may require documentary evidence, witness testimony, negotiation, or trial. Divorce in Maryland now can be based on (1) 6-Month Separation in which spouses do not share a room and bed; (2) Irreconcilable Differences; and (3) Mutual Consent.
Unless divorce is based on Mutual Consent, litigants must still present evidence and testimony for the court to decide how to identify, value, and distribute marital property, debts, and other marital issues.
Contested Divorce
A divorce is contested
when the spouses do not agree on one or more issues that must be resolved, such as property division, alimony, custody, child support, attorney’s fees, or the terms of the divorce itself.
Ending a marriage may require the parties and the court to identify which assets and debts are marital, nonmarital, or partly marital. Property may need to be traced to determine its source and ownership. Assets, businesses, retirement benefits, real estate, and other interests may also need to be valued before they can be equitably addressed.
Maryland and the District of Columbia apply equitable-distribution principles to marital property. Depending on the jurisdiction and the facts, a court may consider claims involving the classification and valuation of property, monetary awards, allocation of debt, retirement benefits, use and possession, or other financial relief.”
Your rights and the strength of your claims depend on the governing law and the specific facts and evidence in your case. We carefully evaluate both to identify the issues that matter most and develop a strategy for protecting your interests.
Uncontested Divorce
An uncontested divorce may be faster and less expensive when both spouses agree on all issues that must be resolved. Those issues may include property, debt, retirement benefits, alimony, custody, child support, attorney’s fees, and the terms of any marital settlement agreement.
If you and your spouse have reached clear agreements concerning the disposition of your assets and debts, responsibility for expenses, parenting arrangements, support, and other material terms, you may be able to reduce the time and expense associated with litigation.
Even when spouses agree, legal advice remains important. An attorney can identify unresolved issues, explain the consequences of proposed terms, prepare an enforceable settlement agreement, and ensure that the required divorce documents accurately reflect the parties’ agreement.
We assist clients in negotiating and documenting settlements that protect their interests and provide clear, workable terms.
Divorce in Washington, D.C.
Absolute Divorce
District of Columbia law permits a court to grant a divorce when one or both spouses state that they no longer wish to remain married. The law does not require the spouses to live apart for any particular period before filing. In most cases, at least one spouse must have been a bona fide resident of the District of Columbia for the six months immediately preceding the filing, although limited exceptions apply.
A divorce may be uncontested when the spouses agree on all issues, or contested when disagreements remain. Because either spouse may seek to end the marriage, the principal disputes often concern the consequences of divorce rather than whether the divorce itself will be granted.
Those issues may include the identification, valuation, and equitable distribution of property and debt; alimony; child custody; parenting time; and child support. District of Columbia law generally assigns each spouse’s separate property to that spouse and requires the court to distribute other property and debt accumulated during the marriage in a manner that is equitable, just, and reasonable after considering the relevant statutory factors.
P. A. Davis Law Office, LLC helps clients evaluate the financial and family issues that may affect the outcome of a divorce, identify the evidence needed to support their position, and develop a strategy for settlement or litigation. Careful preparation is especially important when a case involves complicated income, retirement assets, real estate, business interests, disputed debt, or significant differences in the parties’ financial circumstances.
Annulments in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
An annulment differs from a divorce. Rather than ending a valid marriage, an annulment asks the court to determine that a marriage was legally invalid based on circumstances that existed when the marriage was entered into.
Maryland and the District of Columbia recognize annulment in limited circumstances. Whether an annulment is available depends on the specific facts of the case and the applicable law. Issues such as fraud, duress, legal incapacity, an existing marriage, or other legally recognized grounds may affect whether annulment is an available remedy.
Because annulments are governed by specific legal requirements and are not appropriate in every case, it is important to consult with an attorney to determine whether an annulment or divorce is the appropriate course of action.
