JOHN S. WEAVER

John Weaver is a seasoned family law attorney in Maryland with over 40 years of experience, including six years as a Family Magistrate in the Montgomery County Circuit Court (2001-2007). His legal practice spans family law negotiation, mediation, arbitration, litigation, appellate advocacy, and expert witness services. John is familiar with family law litigation and the dispute resolution process from both sides of the bench; he understands what makes for efficient, effective, and persuasive trial and appellate advocacy and successful alternative dispute resolution. He seeks to provide clients with knowledgeable counsel, realistic expectations, and effective assistance in resolving their family law matters, whether inside the courtroom or the conference room.

John Weaver has a passion for oral and written client advocacy. He has handled more than fifty appeals, and he has written the associated appellate briefs and argued cases before the Appellate Court of Maryland and Supreme Court of Maryland about significant family law issues (e.g., divorce grounds; alimony - pendente lite, rehabilitative, indefinite; monetary award; business valuation; marital debt; child custody, child custody relocation; child custody modification; child support; child support modification; voluntary impoverishment; attorneys' fees; "Crawford Credits" - contribution; common law marriage; responsibilities of Best Interest Attorney; comity and marriage validity; contempt; expert witnesses and discovery violation sanctions; limitations; jurisdiction; sufficiency of pleadings). Both before and after serving as a Family Magistrate, John Weaver has successfully briefed and argued numerous family law cases before the Appellate Court of Maryland and the Supreme Court of Maryland.

Reported appellate decisions:

Lasko v. Lasko, 245 Md. App. 70 (2020) (sufficiency of a request for division of retirement benefits in a pleading); Santo v. Santo, 448 Md. 620 (2016) (Joint legal custody: allocation of tie-breaking decision-making authority); Tshiani v. Tshiani, 466 Md. 255 (2013) (comity, proof of valid marriage); Das v. Das, 133 Md. App. 1 (2000) (divorce grounds; default); Guarino v. Guarino,112 Md. App. 1 (1996) (pendente lite alimony; initial attorneys' fees); Rogers v. Rogers, 80 Md. App. 575 (1989) (marital property, indefinite alimony, marital debt, attorneys fees); and Young v. Mayne Realty Co., Inc., 48 Md. App. 662, 429 A.2d 296 (1981) (limitations, meritorious defense).

Continuing Legal Education Writer, Speaker, and Author:

John Weaver is also an active educator, regularly planning and presenting numerous Continuing Legal Education seminars on family law and appellate matters. Since 1993, he has written or compiled, edited and updated the 600+ pages comprising the Bar Foundation of Montgomery County’s practical and successful annual Rita Rosenkrantz Basic Family Law training course. He served as chair of the Bar Association of Montgomery County Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee (2012-2015), and Family Law Section CLE chair/co-chair (2013-2025).

John Weaver is the author of The Seven Principles of a Just Divorce: Biblical Wisdom and Legal Insight (https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Principles-Just-Divorce-Biblical/dp/1735349607)