Maryland Recent Legal Answers from Lawyers

A list of documents for an F-2A minor to have for interview includes valid passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate of parents or proof of parental care or legitimation (if the petitioner is the father), at least two passport style photos, medical examination, police certificate if the age of 16 or over, court records if there was a conviction, I-130 petition approval (in the event that the consular officer wants to see the original), evidence of financial support, and anything else to show the child-parent relationship such as old family photographs.Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.  ... Read More

If your landlord wanted to he could probably try to hold you responsible for all of September.  One month's notice means one month before the end of the term you want to terminate, not 30 days. Your landlord can deduct for unpaid rent.  That's one of the things a security deposit is meant to protect against.  However, by not paying the rent and staying you may be leaving yourself vulnerable for a failure to pay rent case and possibly a security deposit dispute.... Read More

If your lease is month to month then your landlord can terminate you by giving one month's notice before the end of the next lease term.  In most cases this is actually slightly over than 30 days, so your landlord's notice may be insufficient.  Consider contacting an attorney and showing him or her the notice so they can help you determine whether or not it is valid. However, assuming they have provided you with a valid notice to terminate your tenancy, then it will be difficult for you to remain on the property because no reason is required to terminate a monthly lease agreement. I have written in more detail on notice to vacate cases in Maryland at the following link: https://tpf.legal/notice-to-vacate... Read More

What do you mean by "prior" family members?  Your possibilities to win cannot be known without knowing the specific factors of your case.  Namely (1) was the will valid and (2) was you husband competent when he signed the will.  Consider consulting with an attorney and letting him or her know the specifics of your case if you need help.... Read More

This question cannot be answered.  It entirely depends on the specific factors of your situation.  Factors include - is the will valid, was the person who signed it competent when they signed it.  Consider contacting an attorney and giving them specific details for your case.... Read More

Whether you marry now or wait till after BMT is solely up to you. You will not be able to seek adjustment of status until he becomes a citizen but that does not keep you from marrying. Keep in mind that marrying now may be better from the perspective of processing paperwork with the military. It can take a few months to get all the paperwork processed so you are reflected as his spouse. You can read more about family immigration at http://myattorneyusa.com/family-immigration. ... Read More

Usually, a birth certificate establishing the mother-child relationship is sufficient for immigration purposes. However, if there is no birth certificate or there are other reasons to question the validity of the document, additional evidence may be requested such as baptismal or other religious records, early school records, other government records, affidavits, etc. where secondary evidence is not sufficient, DNA testing may be required. You can read more about family immigration at http://myattorneyusa.com/family-immigration.... Read More

If they won't take you seriously the next step is to have an attorney notify them in writing. If they do not fix it after sending a demand letter then you may have to escalate things even further. I have written about the effectiveness of demand letters to landlords and tenants at this link: https://tpf.legal/demand-letter... Read More

A "reasonable" amount of time.  Send her a letter letting her know that if she does not come to pick her stuff up, you will throw it out in a "reasonable" amount of time.  I think reasonable is 30-60 days.  Send the letter by certified mail so you have proof that you tried to reach her, and make a copy of it.  I recommend having an attorney send the letter.  I have written more on the effectiveness of letters from attorneys here: https://tpf.legal/demand-letter... Read More

Consider contacting an attorney and showing him or her your HOA rules and Covenants so they can review it themselves.  HOA's can be a pain to deal with, so I highly recommend having an attorney send them a letter and talk and negotiate with them on your behalf.  I have written on the effectiveness of demand letters here: https://tpf.legal/demand-letter... Read More

You can consider contacting an attorney to send your landlord a demand letter to fix the property.  Your landlord may take the issue more seriously once they see you have an attorney.  I have written more on demand letters and their effectiveness in landlord-tenant cases here: https://tpf.legal/demand-letter Another option you may have is to contact your local Code Enforcement.  Google (insert city or county here) residential code enforcement to find your local department.  Schedule an inspection to be done at your house, and they may cite your landlord if the violation is serious enough.  If your landlord does not fix the issue after being cited, they may be subjected to civil or criminal penalties.... Read More

You probably have a case for rent escrow.  Rent escrow allows you to pay rent into the District Court's escrow account instead of to your landlord.  Your landlord will not receive the rent until they can fix the issue.  I have written in much more detail on rent escrow in Maryland at the following link: https://tpf.legal/rent-escrow... Read More

Maybe.  You always have the right to dispute and to challenge your landlord's bills, and if you do so, the burden is on your landlord to show why you owe the bill.  This can be done by comparing and contrasting the conditions of the property to how it was before and after you left.  And even so, your landlord can only charge for damages beyond ordinary wear and tear.  I think you should consider contacting an attorney to send a demand letter dispute the bill on your behalf.  Demand letters to landlords can be very effective.  I have written in much more detail on landlord/tenant demand letters at the following link: https://tpf.legal/demand-letter... Read More

NVC provides checklists twice during the immigration process – once when it asks for documents to make the case ready for interview and again when it sends out appointments for interview. The checklist for interview notes the documents that you have submitted, what documents are not applicable, and the documents that you are expected to bring to the interview.Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.  ... Read More

You may be eligible for naturalization. A more thorough review of your travel history is needed to assess the matter. It is not enough to be physically present in the United States 30 out of the past 60 months. You must also establish continuous residence. An absence of six months or more will trigger a presumption that you have not continuously resided in the United States. You can read more about eligibility for naturalization at http://myattorneyusa.com/how-to-get-naturalized-in-the-united-states.... Read More

You should not be married before you leave the country unless your fiancee is a US citizen and can sponsor you for the green card. Your mother is either filing for you under immediate relative status as a child under the age of 21 and unmarried, F-1 category as unmarried son or daughter over the age of 21 of a U. S. citizen, F-2A category as the child under the age of 21 and unmarried of a lawful permanent resident (LPR), or F-2B category as the son or daughter over the age of 21 and unmarried of an LPR. Getting married prior to receiving permanent residence would adversely affect any of the above petitions. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read More

For an absolute divorce, there are several grounds based on fault and two for no fault.  The first no fault provision is when the couple has lived apart without sexual relations for 12 months.  The second one, which is a new no fault ground, is based on mutual consent.  Unfortunately, if there are minor children as a result of the marriage, the couple cannot take advantage of this provision.  (Maryland Code, Family Law Section 7-103).  There are other requirements.  However, the minor child exclusion is the one that disqualifies many couples.  ... Read More