Family law with a calming influence and a broad perspective.
The Divorce & Family Law Group at Pasternak & Fidis has two goals: to represent our clients effectively at the negotiating table, and, if necessary, in court, while bringing calm, order and sensitivity to an emotionally charged situation.
Our attorneys are licensed in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. We work with both married and unmarried couples, including those in domestic partnerships, who are seeking a dignified resolution of their family law matters.
Within the firm, we work across departmental lines, to help our clients minimize the financial, tax, and business repercussions of separation and divorce or dissolution of a domestic partnership.
Our attorneys are trained in collaborative law and are able to offer our clients this innovative and humane approach to the resolution of family law issues.
We are particularly sensitive to the needs of children and take pride in our ability to craft practical, creative custody solutions that best meet the needs of all parties. We are experienced in handling custody disputes resulting from the dissolution of nonmarital relationships.
We provide sophisticated analyses of such issues as complex property, deferred compensation and retirement benefits, taxes, trusts and business issues, consulting our in-house tax and business specialists when necessary. And we work to prevent disruption to business operations and income sources.
Most importantly, we understand, offer, and explain alternatives. Our experience includes negotiation, litigation, mediation, and collaborative law.
We combine zealous representation with a dignified, systematic approach. That’s what makes our family law attorneys so effective.
Our services include:
- Counseling and planning before marriage, cohabitation, separation or divorce.
- Preparing and reviewing premarital agreements as well as postmarital agreements, working with our estates and trusts professionals to ensure that both divorce and estate planning issues are properly addressed.
- Preparing and reviewing domestic partnership agreements and joint ownership agreements for same-sex couples.
- Negotiating property, custody and support settlement agreements using collaborative law as well as traditional negotiation.
- Helping other attorneys and their clients resolve their cases by acting as experts, mediators, arbitrators, and dispute resolution professionals.
- Litigating all types of domestic relations cases and issues in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia, including complex property cases, custody disputes and support issues.
- Resolving disputes over the validity and interpretation of premarital agreements.
- Resolving disputes over family businesses and professional practices, including issues of valuation and disputes over executive compensation.
- Dividing retirement benefits and deferred compensation plans at divorce, including private sector, governmental and international organization plans, for our clients and for other attorneys, including preparation of qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs).
- Tax advice and tax planning for separated and divorced clients as well as clients who are dissolving a domestic partnership.
- Working with parents and mental health professionals to develop workable parenting and child access plans.
- Representing clients involved in the dissolution of registered as well as contractual domestic partnerships, custody and support matters, and division of property.
- Enforcing court orders.
- Resolution of disputes over modification of court orders for custody, child access, child support and alimony.
- Counseling clients to prevent international child abduction, and handling international child abduction cases in state and federal courts.
- Helping individuals seeking relief from domestic abuse.
- Representing business owners and other third parties subpoenaed to provide evidence in a divorce or other family law case.
- Working with clients involved in custody and child access disputes involving third parties, such as grandparents, stepparents and former domestic partners.