Advice from a MD divorce attorney: Alimony in Maryland is decided by considering twelve factors set forth in Family Law Section 11-106.  There is nothing in the statute that quantifies the dollar amount or duration of alimony.

Alimony guidelines have been in existence for some time.  The American  Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers publishes alimony guidelines and the Women’s Law Center has a program called the Kaufman Alimony Guidelines Calculator.  Even though the twelfth alimony factor is “anything else the court wants to consider”, it was not clear whether that included alimony guidelines or not.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled recently that the guidelines may be used by the judge as an aid so long as they do not replace the twelve factors or frustrate them.  So now divorce lawyers in Maryland will be presenting guidelines in settlement discussions, mediation and court.  Boemio v. Boemio, CA No. 57, September Term, 2009, May 11, 2010.