Chevy Chase Child Support Lawyer

Experienced Chevy Chase, MD child support attorneys, recognized by Super Lawyers and named to Best Lawyers.

If you and your child’s other parent cannot agree on support, the right attorney can help you reach a number that is fair and holds up over time. The amount entered will affect your household budget and your child’s daily care for years to come. Our attorneys at Fait & DiLima Family Law have guided Maryland parents through these disputes for decades, and that work has drawn recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers. A conversation with our Chevy Chase, MD child support lawyer is a reliable place to start. Contact our office to arrange a consultation.

Child Support Lawyer Chevy Chase, MD

A child support lawyer represents a parent in setting, changing, or enforcing the financial support owed for a child. The work involves far more than filling out a worksheet. It requires establishing each parent’s true income, accounting for parenting time and the costs of raising a child, and presenting the case clearly to the court.

A Chevy Chase child support attorney also anticipates the disputes that arise when one parent’s earnings are difficult to pin down or when an order goes unpaid. Some matters are resolved by agreement, while others require a hearing. A skilled attorney reads the situation early and prepares the financial record accordingly, rather than treating every case the same way. Our role is to confirm that the figures are accurate and that the resulting order is both fair and enforceable.

Types of Child Support Cases We Handle in Chevy Chase

Child support questions arise in many settings, from an initial divorce to a modification years later. Our attorneys handle the full range of these matters for parents in Chevy Chase. The cases below are the ones we encounter most often.

• Establishing support. When parents separate or were never married, the court enters the first order, sometimes after establishing paternity. We assemble income records and apply the guidelines so that the starting figure is sound.
• Divorce. Support is frequently decided alongside the other terms of a divorce, and the two are closely connected. We address it as part of the larger case.
• Modifying an order. Incomes rise and fall, jobs end, and parenting schedules change over time. We petition to adjust support when a material change justifies it.
• Enforcement and arrears. When payments stop, the balance owed grows quickly. We pursue wage withholding, contempt proceedings, and other remedies to recover what is due, and we keep an accurate accounting of the amounts at stake.
• Income disputes. Self-employment, bonuses, and irregular pay make the income figure harder to fix. We document earnings on both sides so the calculation rests on real numbers rather than guesswork. In cases with hidden or understated income, that documentation often decides the outcome.
• Voluntary impoverishment. A parent who leaves work or takes a lower-paying job to reduce support invites closer scrutiny. Courts may assign income based on earning capacity, and we marshal the evidence either way.
• Child custody. Overnight parenting time feeds directly into the support figure, so the two are rarely considered apart.
• Alimony. When alimony is requested, the court decides it first because it shifts each parent’s income. We handle both in the correct sequence.
• High-income matters. When the parents’ combined income is substantial, the standard schedule no longer controls. We advocate for an amount tied to the child’s actual needs.

Why Choose Fait & DiLima Family Law as my Child Support Lawyer in Chevy Chase, MD?

Local Knowledge and Recognized Experience

Our firm has represented parents across Chevy Chase and throughout Maryland in child support matters for decades. The selection of a child support attorney matters, because the outcome rests on how carefully income and expenses are presented. Marjorie DiLima leads that work at our firm. Her ease with numbers, sharpened by a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law, suits cases where a parent’s earnings are complex or concealed. That same skill carries into high asset divorce, where support and income questions frequently overlap. Super Lawyers has recognized her for ten consecutive years, she has been named to Best Lawyers, and she is admitted before the U.S. District Court, the Maryland appellate courts, and the U.S. Tax Court. She holds a lifetime position in the American Inns of Court and teaches integrity and professionalism in the practice of law at Montgomery College.

A Record That Reflects Real Preparation

Results matter in family law, and we bring thorough preparation to every support matter. Marjorie maintains an appellate practice and has argued before Maryland’s appellate courts on the financial questions that often decide family law cases. Whether your matter is settled at the table or decided after a hearing, that preparation is what allows us to press for an accurate figure and to protect it as circumstances change.

Understanding Child Support Cases

How Child Support Is Calculated in Maryland

Maryland sets child support using an income shares model, which estimates what parents would have spent on a child had the household stayed together. The calculation draws on both parents’ incomes, the number of children, and the time the child spends with each parent, along with certain added costs. The resulting figure carries a presumption of correctness, although a court may depart from it when applying the guidelines would be unfair in a particular case.

• Parental income. Both incomes form the starting point, and the obligation is divided in proportion to each.
• Parenting time. The number of overnights with each parent can raise or lower amount.
• Health insurance. The cost of covering the child is built into the total.
• Child care. Work-related care expenses are added to the basic obligation.
• Support for other children. Amounts owed for children in another household may be taken into account.
• High combined income. Above the top of the schedule, the court uses its discretion based on the child’s needs.

What Are Important Aspects of a Child Support Case?

A few questions tend to drive the result in most support cases. Resolving them early keeps the matter manageable and reduces the time spent in court. Each one can become its own contest if it is left unaddressed.

• Pinning down each parent’s true income, including self-employment and bonuses.
• Accounting for the parenting schedule and the overnights it produces.
• Allocating health insurance, child care, and any extraordinary medical costs.
• Deciding whether a modification is warranted by a change in circumstances.
• Choosing whether to resolve the matter by agreement, through mediation, or at a hearing.

What Is The Child Support Case Timeline?

No two cases move at the same speed, although most proceed through a familiar order of steps. The pace depends on whether the parents agree and how clear the income picture is.

• Filing a petition to establish or modify support.
• Exchanging financial statements, pay records, and tax returns.
• Calculating the guideline amount and identifying any disputes.
• Attending a support hearing or finalizing an agreement.
• Entering the order and, when necessary, arranging enforcement.

What Should You Bring to Your Child Support Consultation?

Bringing the right records lets us estimate support quickly and identify the points most likely to be contested. Bring what you can locate, and we will help gather the rest.

• Recent pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of any bonuses or self-employment income.
• The current parenting schedule and a count of overnights with each parent.
• Costs for the child’s health insurance, child care, and any special needs.
• Any existing support order or written agreement between the parents.

During the consultation, we will review your goals, walk through how the guidelines apply, and explain the likely range of outcomes. We will also flag the issues most likely to be disputed so that you know what to expect. Gathering your financial documents beforehand makes that first meeting considerably more useful.

What Are Important Maryland Legal Resources for Child Support Cases?

Reliable information supports better decisions about support. The resources below come directly from Maryland agencies responsible for the state’s child support system and family law.

• Child Support Services: Maryland Department of Human Services offer help with establishment and enforcement.
• Child Support Guidelines: Maryland General Assembly publishes the rules used to calculate awards.
• The Maryland General Assembly also directs courts to apply those guidelines absent good reason to depart.
• The Maryland Judiciary provides family law guidance on support and related matters.
• The Maryland General Assembly sets out the alimony factors the court weighs before fixing support.

Reach Out to Fait & DiLima Family Law to Schedule a Consultation

A child support order touches your budget and your child’s well-being for years, and sound guidance makes a meaningful difference. Our Chevy Chase child support attorneys are prepared to review your circumstances and explain the options before you. Fait & DiLima Family Law represents parents throughout Montgomery County with care and steady judgment. To begin, contact us to arrange a consultation, and we will respond promptly to find a workable time.