Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Re: child at risk

It depends on what you want. If you want to play a significant role in your daughter's life--for example, the right to have a say in how she's brought up, education, etc., you should answer the custody petition by asking for joint legal custody. As for physical custody, you have a right to ask for that as well, but it's not likely that the court will separate a child this young from her mother. So you should make sure you request specified visitation with the child if you are concerned that your girlfriend will try to exclude you from your daughter's life.

You can expect to be ordered to pay support for the child if sole physical custody is granted to your girlfriend. The support amount will be automatically deducted from your paycheck and sent to your girlfriend. The amount will be determined by your respective incomes and using the MD child support guidelines.

The best way to resolve all of this is to try and come to some kind of agreement with your girlfriend if you are not going to be together. You should seek the advice of a family law attorney to help you with this problem.