Family Law

Unfortunately for so many in our society, family breakup is a fact of life. When a family dissolves, there is much more than furniture, houses or cars at stake — the identity of that family, including its children, is in the mix. That's why the way our legal system and our society respond to family dissolution needs to change. While people read about the travails of celebrities who commit marital infidelity, perhaps we should be upset that the huge headlines are not about the everyday families — those who often are devastated by their trek through the adversarial legal process that constitutes much of family law. The parties may emerge having disposed of a marriage but also having traumatized loved ones, exhausted their resources and diminished the well-being and self-esteem of their children and of each other.

Paul A. Dorf, a former state senator and Baltimore City circuit judge who championed the use of arbitration and mediation as alternatives to an overcrowded court system, died of renal cancer Thursday at his home in Harbor Court. He was 86. "Paul brought a very strong spirit of collegiality, high ethical standards, energy and enthusiasm to the practice of law," said Oren D. Saltzman, managing partner of the law firm of Adelberg, Rudow, Dorf & Hendler, LLC, which Judge Dorf joined in 1983 after retiring from the bench.

There were lawyers, judges and representatives from a number of family advocacy groups, but this wasn't your garden variety legal proceeding. No, this get-together was your garden party variety -- as in the annual Spring Lawn Party and Silent Auction for Alternative Directions, Inc. A casual, inviting atmosphere permeated the gardens surrounding the Towson home of Mary Joel Davis, Alternative Directions' executive director. Some of the 220 guests brought their home-cooked specialties, such as crab dip and sweet potato pie, creating an almost-endless buffet and giving the event a real family feel.

George Warren "Moose" Mix Sr., a well-known Towson attorney whose legal expertise included administrative, criminal and family law, died May 4 of heart failure at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The 30-year Lutherville resident was 74. "I knew Warren when I was a prosecutor and later as a defense attorney, and he was often in three jurisdictions during a single day. He was a stand-up, honest and hardworking guy when it came to his clients. He'd fight for his people," said Gov. Martin J. O'Malley.

Monica Doherty, an attorney who worked in family law, ended her life July 1 in Largo, Fla. The Wyman Park resident was 40. Born Monica Christine Doherty in Virginia Beach, Va., and raised in Dunedin, Fla., she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. After moving to Baltimore in 1999, she taught computer science at the Roland Park Middle School. She received a degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2005. At her death she was practicing law in Towson and worked in family law. She enjoyed travel and outdoor activities and completed the 2006 Baltimore Marathon.

A 17-month project designed to provide legal services to people embroiled in family disputes, including divorce cases, has found that as many as 12,000 such people in Maryland each year forego hiring a lawyer, often because they can't afford it.The needs of these people can be met with a range of lower-cost alternatives to traditional lawyering, according to a study conducted by the University of Maryland Law School's assisted pro se project.Among options suggested by the study are counseling sessions with law students trained in family law and increased use of mediation.

Mary M. Kramer came to family law by way of a boss with old-school views. In the 1980s, a male lawyer hired her and said, "You're a woman, you'll do the divorce cases." William V. Tucker first worked with kids and the criminal justice system as a police officer in New Jersey, when he was part of a program similar to DARE. Kramer and Tucker will bring their diverse experiences to their latest jobs as Howard County Circuit Court's newest masters in chancery, filling vacancies left by two masters who retired from their seats this fall.

Between the entrances to two Carroll County courtrooms is a door with a paper sign reading "Please walk in." Anybody who does finds a suite of offices where parents can work out custody battles while their children play in a room adorned with a mural of forest animals frolicking in a green meadow. This is the new home of the Carroll Circuit Court's Family Law Administration in the Courthouse Annex. In the past, children would sometimes amuse themselves in a judge's chambers while the grownups settled their legal differences.

As we approach Mother's Day, it is worth re-examining our understanding of what it means to be a mother.At first blush, the law seems an unlikely place to turn. Until recently, legal scholars have written little about the subject of motherhood. There is even confusion about how to define "mother" under the law. As Columbia Law School Professor Carol Sanger said, "'Who is a mother?' no longer has a simple answer, now that genetic contribution, gestation and stroller pushing may each be provided by a different woman."

George Warren "Moose" Mix Sr., a well-known Towson attorney whose legal expertise included administrative, criminal and family law, died May 4 of heart failure at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The 30-year Lutherville resident was 74. "I knew Warren when I was a prosecutor and later as a defense attorney, and he was often in three jurisdictions during a single day. He was a stand-up, honest and hardworking guy when it came to his clients. He'd fight for his people," said Gov. Martin J. O'Malley.

There is serious confusion about the basis (legal or otherwise) for redefining an ancient human institution (marriage) to fit the social mores of 21st century society. The conservative view is that marriage as traditionally defined is an ancient human institution that predates civil society and therefore deserves the respect of the more recently established civil institutions that may support it; the more modern view, apparently shared by the governor and by a majority of the Maryland legislature, is that the term "marriage" can be redefined by an existing legislative majority without regard to that tradition.

Unfortunately for so many in our society, family breakup is a fact of life. When a family dissolves, there is much more than furniture, houses or cars at stake — the identity of that family, including its children, is in the mix. That's why the way our legal system and our society respond to family dissolution needs to change. While people read about the travails of celebrities who commit marital infidelity, perhaps we should be upset that the huge headlines are not about the everyday families — those who often are devastated by their trek through the adversarial legal process that constitutes much of family law. The parties may emerge having disposed of a marriage but also having traumatized loved ones, exhausted their resources and diminished the well-being and self-esteem of their children and of each other.

Gov. Martin O'Malley has appointed nine lawyers, one of them the son of state Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller, to be trial judges. Named to the Circuit Court bench in Baltimore were Kendra Y. Ausby, counsel for the Courts and Judicial Affairs Division of the attorney general's office and a former assistant public defender; Videtta A. Brown, a District Court judge and former prosecutor; Charles J. Peters, a federal prosecutor and former city...

Michael E. Loney took a long weekend of forced retirement when the calendar shoved him out of his judicial chambers. "I am statutorily senile," he said, referring to the state's requirement that judges retire when they reach age 70. After 19-plus years on the bench, Loney packed up his judicial chambers on the fourth floor of the Anne Arundel County Courthouse and was gone July 16. Five days later, he was back. Like many judges around the state, he is working part time in retirement - balancing golf, travel and work around the house with work at the courthouse.

Monica Doherty, an attorney who worked in family law, ended her life July 1 in Largo, Fla. The Wyman Park resident was 40. Born Monica Christine Doherty in Virginia Beach, Va., and raised in Dunedin, Fla., she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. After moving to Baltimore in 1999, she taught computer science at the Roland Park Middle School. She received a degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2005. At her death she was practicing law in Towson and worked in family law. She enjoyed travel and outdoor activities and completed the 2006 Baltimore Marathon.

Elizabeth Carol Yarema, an attorney who believed in solving issues by mediation, died of a pulmonary embolism Monday at her northern Baltimore County home. She was 38. Born in Baltimore and raised in Sparks, she was a 1987 graduate of St. Paul's School for Girls, where she was yearbook editor and contributed to the school's literary magazine and newspaper. She received the Trustee Award, given to a student with "outstanding character, good citizenship, and who contributes with service to the community."

Between the entrances to two Carroll County courtrooms is a door with a paper sign reading "Please walk in." Anybody who does finds a suite of offices where parents can work out custody battles while their children play in a room adorned with a mural of forest animals frolicking in a green meadow. This is the new home of the Carroll Circuit Court's Family Law Administration in the Courthouse Annex. In the past, children would sometimes amuse themselves in a judge's chambers while the grownups settled their legal differences.

The two attorneys running Carroll County's only all-female law firm are daughters of Sparrows Point steelworkers with a strong desire to help their clients in and out of the courtroom.Despite their similar roots, Kathi Hill, 38, a former assistant state's attorney in Carroll, and Zoa Barnes, 40, who used to work as a civilian in the field of biomedicine and genetics at Fort Detrick in Frederick, did not meet until 1990."I entered law school, began working as a law clerk and got to know Kathi in her role as a prosecutor," Barnes, who also has been a volunteer counselor, said last week.

Ralph K. Rothwell Jr., a law firm's managing partner, died of bone cancer Jan. 4 at Sinai Hospital. The Homeland resident was 58. Born in Fort Lee, Va., he was raised in Austria and Germany, where his father was stationed in the military. The family later relocated to Elkton, and he was a 1966 Tome School graduate. He was class valedictorian. He earned an English literature degree at the Johns Hopkins University, where he participated in the ROTC and was on the varsity swim team. He received a law degree at the University of Maryland.

Mary M. Kramer came to family law by way of a boss with old-school views. In the 1980s, a male lawyer hired her and said, "You're a woman, you'll do the divorce cases." William V. Tucker first worked with kids and the criminal justice system as a police officer in New Jersey, when he was part of a program similar to DARE. Kramer and Tucker will bring their diverse experiences to their latest jobs as Howard County Circuit Court's newest masters in chancery, filling vacancies left by two masters who retired from their seats this fall.