Professional Profile of
Attorney Laura D. Matney
Attny. Matney has obtained Joint Legal Custody, and Joint Physical Custody with
50-50 time sharing (i.e., equal authority/equal access)
for Fathers
many times
in many Courts around the State of Maryland.
Attny. Matney has obtained Sole Legal and Sole Physical Custody
for Fathers
at the Trial level,
at the Appellate level, and
by Emergency Hearing in Family Courts around the state of Maryland.
Attny. Matney has also obtained Sole Custody
and Joint Custody with Equal Time Sharing
for Fathers
by Settlement.
Attny. Matney has effectively advocated for many Fathers. Not only has she obtained Court Orders for
Custody for many Fathers, but
she has accomplished many other things for Fathers as well: She has obtained Court Orders for Fathers to
have Sole Physical Custody and to be able to take the Children to
other states and to another country to reside with them there; She has obtained Orders for Mothers to
have to return
the Children from other States within a few days; She
has obtained Orders for no Alimony having to be
paid by Husbands in contested Divorce cases where the Wives filed for Alimony; and she has obtained Orders
attributing income to Mothers who chose not to work to their full capacity in Child Support cases;
Orders Shortening Time Allowed For Response; and Orders for Deviations Downward from the Child Support
Guidelines for Fathers. She has had a Motion Opposing The Order Of A Default Judgment against a Father Granted; and she has had
a Motion To Vacate An Order Of Default Judgment against a Father granted.
She has also
also obtained an Order for Fathers for the following:
Transfer of Venue to another County; Transfer of Jurisdiction from Maryland to another State; Transfer of
Jurisdiction from another state to Maryland; For Sanctions Due To Not Answering Discovery Requests - No Testimony Allowed By Mother;
For The Mother To Have To Pay Part Of The Father's Daycare Costs
During The Summer; For A Father To Be Allowed To Reimburse Mother For Daycare Costs Only After Proof Of
Actual Payment Each Month Instead Of Incorporating Into The Guideline Amount; For A Father To Be Allowed To
Pay The Daycare Provider Directly Instead Of Having Daycare Costs Incorporated Into The Guideline Amount;
and For The Case To Be Remanded To A Different Judge.
*Past success is
no guarantee
of future success: All cases are different with unique variables and successful outcomes for some
in no way
guarantees or implies successful outcomes for others. Going to Trial always involves a
risk since
Judges have
much discretion in the decisions they make in Maryland Family Law.
You can schedule an Initial Consultation with Attny. Matney by clicking
HERE
to fill out her online
Appointment Reservation Request Form.
Published case regarding Constitutional Rights and Family Law
where Attny. Matney obtained an Order for Sole Legal and Sole Physical Custody for the Father
wherein the Court refined and clarified part of Maryland Child Custody Law
in response to her argument:
McDermott v. Dougherty, 385 Md. 320 (2005).
*The McDermott case was later upheld and expanded to also cover Maryland Visitation Law on 1/12/07 in the
case of Koshko v. Haining.
Attny. Matney is fully licensed to practice law in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the Maryland
Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. She has filed cases in all of these Courts and is
familiar with the various procedures of each. She is also fully licensed to practice in all State Courts in
Maryland.
Attny. Matney's career has consisted of many years of vigorous advocacy, effective action,
and high quality service for her Clients.
She has been practicing law continuously since 1997.
In the year 1997 she practiced mostly
criminal defense law in the District of Columbia. She
began concentrating in the area of
Fathers' Rights in 1998 after seeing the enormous impact
that Child Custody and Visitation orders had on the lives
of her criminal defense Clients, who happened to be Fathers.
Attny. Matney has been
practicing mostly Maryland Family Law since 1998 and has achieved favorable outcomes for Fathers many times
both through
the Maryland Trial and Appellate Courts and also by achieving favorable Settlements
(*Past success is no guarantee
whatever of future success).
Attny. Matney's education includes a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Psychology,
which she obtained before her Juris Doctor degree. In college she was
given a special recognition pin by the professor for receiving the highest grade in her Social Psychology
class. Attny. Matney received an American Jurisprudence
Award for receiving the highest grade in her Family Law class in law school.
Attny. Matney's interests outside of Family Law include the Martial Art of
Ba Gua which emphasizes
developing awareness with the goal of being able to handle several simultaneous
challenges at once from many directions and levels
and remaining calm under pressure.
She is also interested in
other activities that help cultivate strength of mind, agility, physical health, flexibility, balance,
and a positive disposition in ways that help promote
success in all areas of life.
Attny. Matney is currently accepting only Maryland
Civil cases regarding Divorce, Custody, Visitation, and/or Abuse allegations.
Attny. Matney accepts these kinds of cases in all counties in the state of Maryland, and does
not charge for driving-time to or from any court hearings.
Maryland Family Law is the only kind of Law Attny. Matney does and she does it well.
Attny. Matney provides very high-quality Initial Consultations based on over 13 years of Experience in Maryland Family Law Courts around the State
of Maryland, she accepts cases from all Family Courts within the State of Maryland, and she does not charge for driving time to or from court hearings.
She has obtained court Orders for Fathers having Equal Time Sharing and Primary Residential Custody many times around the State of Maryland.
All Initial Consultations given at the Matney Law Firm are given by Attny. Matney,
all Legal Advice is given by Attny. Matney, and all Representation of Clients is done by Attny. Matney.
While there are specific
Main Factors
the Maryland Courts must consider when deciding Custody cases, these various Factors are not assigned any particular weight or priority, and
there are no specific formulas for determining the schedule the child will have with the parents.
In Maryland Family Courts the status of Custody and the particular visitation schedule of the child is decided based mostly on what is
"in the best interest of the child,"
which is up for argument based on the individual circumstances involved in each case. These Main Factors are published in
many locations easily seen by the general public. However,
there are many sub-Factors that are very influential (often more so than the "Main Factors") in many Custody cases that are
not published in many locations easily seen by the general public, if at all.
In order to have a good understanding of "Maryland Family Law" it is necessary to know and understand these sub-Factors. Attny. Matney
provides detailed information about these sub-Factors as part of her Initial Consultations.
Initial Consultations with Attny. Matney are given at her hourly rate, which is $275.00 an hour.
How
much a case may cost will depend on the facts involved in the case and the desires of the Client.
A Consultation with Attny. Matney would need to be scheduled to determine this.
To avoid confusion regarding dates, time, location, and terms,
and to make sure there is no conflict of interest,
all appointments are set by e-mail
only -- not by phone.
If you have submit all the required information, a conflicts check will be done regarding the names
and/or needed court dates you put on your Form, and
if there is no conflict, one of your requested appointment times will be confirmed if possible.
Having a Consultation with Attny. Matney does not guarantee that she will accept your case. --Confirming that she has the
date open that you need for a scheduled hearing in no way guarantees that she will accept your case. -- It is only to
confirm that she has that particular date open at this time to possibly represent you if she were to accept your case.
You can schedule an Initial Consultation with Attny. Matney by clicking
HERE
to fill out her online
Appointment Reservation Request Form.
