Linda Ravdin

I practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. I concentrate in divorce and family law, division of property, valuation and division of businesses and professional services practices, valuation and division of retirement benefits, spousal support, custody, and child support. My practice embraces families of all kinds, including same-sex and unmarried couples. I have expertise in retirement plans and deferred compensation, including federal plans, private (ERISA) plans, and international organization plans. I am also well versed in divorce tax issues and can draw on the expertise of tax lawyers in my firm to assist clients whose situations require tax planning. I believe most separating couples are best served by negotiating a settlement with the assistance of a lawyer rather than trusting their fate to the courts. Therefore, I spend most of my work time negotiating and drafting settlement agreements, including dissolution agreements for unmarried couples. I work with each client to select the dispute resolution mechanism that meets his or her needs. One such option is the Collaborative Law Process, an innovative approach to resolution that seeks to promote a durable settlement through a respectful process. I conduct negotiations on behalf of clients who choose this route to resolution. I also work with clients who choose mediation and I serve as a mediator. When settlement is not possible, I have 39 years of trial experience to bring to bear on the resolution of my client's matter. A significant part of my practice is devoted to premarital agreements, including same-sex premarital agreements, and domestic partnership agreements. These agreements generally involve planning for both death and dissolution. I work with my partners in the firm's Estates and Trusts Group on the death planning side of these agreements so that my clients benefit from both areas of expertise. Specialties: divorce; collaborative divorce; separation; premarital agreements; same-sex premarital agreements; postmarital agreements; marital separation agreements; domestic partnership agreements; division of property at divorce; division of retirement benefits and deferred compensation at divorce; valuation and division of businesses and professional services practices at divorce; child custody; child support; spousal support; alimony.