Protective Orders Lawyers in Annapolis

• Expertise in Family Law: With a deep understanding of family law, Patrick Crawford specializes in handling complex cases such as divorce, alimony, child custody, child support, and protective orders. His extensive knowledge ensures you receive the best legal representation.
• Proven Track Record: With years of experience in family law, Patrick Crawford has a proven track record of successfully representing clients in divorce, alimony, child custody, and child support cases, ensuring favorable outcomes.
• Strong Advocacy: Known for his strong advocacy skills, Patrick Crawford fiercely protects his client’s rights and interests in court, particularly in sensitive matters such as protective orders and child custody battles.
• Compassionate Support: Understanding the emotional challenges of family law cases, Patrick Crawford offers compassionate support and guidance throughout the legal process, helping clients navigate through difficult times with ease.
• Personalized Approach: Patrick Crawford takes the time to understand each client’s unique situation, providing personalized legal strategies that are tailored to meet your specific needs and objectives.

A protective order is an order from the court that is entered to protect people in a family situation from domestic violence. For purposes of a protective order, a “family member” includes a person with whom someone has a child, even if they are not married. A case for a protective order is a separate case from any related case for divorce or child custody. It is common for parties who are in the process of separating during a divorce or child custody case to experience a conflict that is severe enough that one party seeks a protective order.

Someone who attempts to represent himself or herself without an attorney is taking a huge risk. A protective order is usually sought in the context of a larger divorce or custody dispute, and it will likely have a huge impact on such a dispute. A person who is unrepresented in a protective order case will likely make a less persuasive case and receive a less favorable outcome than otherwise, and that outcome may damage their chances of success in the divorce or custody case.

Having an experienced attorney is extremely important. Only an attorney has the necessary understanding of the law and the court process. An attorney will guide you through the process, advocate for you, and make a forceful case for you at trial if necessary. When the process ends, you likely will have peace of mind and a much better outcome.

Patrick is not like other protective order attorneys. Patrick has a boutique legal practice in which he provides high-quality service to a small number of clients. His practice is small, and that is how he likes it. He is the only attorney in his office. Having a small practice allows Patrick to provide a highly personalized service in which he gets to know each client and delivers representation that is tailored to achieve that client’s unique goals. He has spent the last 14 years handling family law cases, including numerous protective order cases. He has represented his clients in all stages of their cases, including settlement, trial, and appeal. He is aggressive while also being careful to avoid wasteful efforts and strategies that usually serve only to increase the client’s legal fees. Patrick directs his efforts in a focused and intelligent way on things that are most important to the client and that are calculated to bring results. He invites his clients to participate meaningfully in setting the case direction, he is friendly, and he is responsive.

In general, the court will grant a protective order if one party shows that a member of his or her family has physically assaulted that person or their children, or threatened to do so in a credible way.

The protective order may say different things. It may order that the offending person stay away from the other family member, their home, and their place of work. It may order that such person also stay away from their children or the children’s school. Alternatively, it may not order those things and may simply order that no further assaults or threatening behavior occur. All protective orders require that the person who is the subject of the order relinquish any firearms to the police for the duration of the protective order. In addition, a protective order may grant the following:

• Temporary child custody or visitation
• Family maintenance