Getting a Divorce Gets Easier In Maryland

On October 1, 2011, getting a divorce will get easier for many Maryland residents. On that date, a new law goes into effect allowing people to get divorced if they have been living separate and apart for more than 12 months. Under prior law, you could get divorced in Maryland if you had been separated from your spouse for 12 months, but you had to prove that the separation was "mutual and voluntary" on the part of both parties. A spouse who wanted to delay the divorce could assert that the separation was not mutual and voluntary and could drag out the divorce for an additional 12 months. That is no longer the case under the new law.