In most Maryland divorces, the judge’s decision is law and a family court will not alter that decision. That is, if the conditions and circumstances of yourself, your ex and your children stay the same. If there is a considerable change in circumstances, you might be able to go back to the court that issued your child custody ruling and ask for a modification.
Imagine the mother of your children has full physical custody of your children, and you get to spend time with your kids every other weekend. This has worked great for the last seven years, but recently your ex was arrested and charged with drug trafficking cocaine, and now she’s headed for prison. This would be an example of a significant change in circumstances and you could likely ask the judge to modify your child custody arrangements, so that you become the primary caretaker of your kids.
Considerably less severe changes in circumstances could also result in changes to a child custody ruling. Ultimately, everything depends on what is happening in your life and how well you can formulate your case for modification. The process will involve filing a request for modification. Your ex will have a chance to file a response to the request. Then, both of you could be required to appear in court for a brief hearing in which you’ll answer the judge’s questions.
Do you need to change your child custody arrangements? An experienced Maryland family law attorney can assist you in determining whether the pursuit of a child custody modification is right for you and your family.