Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Everybody has a special talent, a skill that gives them satisfaction and pleasure. Some are tap dancers, some are prize fighters. I am neither. I help people solve problems.

Over my 30 years of experience in resolving legal conflicts, I have learned and practiced problem-solving techniques that benefit and satisfy both parties without losing sight of my clients' needs and feelings.

My foundation for this approach comes from my 20 years in the Army. During my five years as an enlisted man, I served as an ombudsman for the residents of lower-enlisted housing areas. The next 15 years I served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG), negotiating claims against the Army. Over that time, I successfully resolved disputes both grand and small, from claims brought by US and foreign civilians and local governments (as well as other national governments) against the United States down to neighbor-to-neighbor arguments over parking spaces.

Since 1993, after I retired from the Army, I have restricted my practice to family law, predominantly in Montgomery County, Maryland. First as a solo practitioner and now in partnership with my daughter, Prudence Upton, at Avery & Upton, I have handled hundreds of divorce, child custody, child support, visitation and other family issues, most often bringing them to resolution without the need for a trial.

I am certified as a mediator in both general civil matters and family law, focusing on property and child-related issues. I serve as a facilitator for the Family Law Division of the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

All of these experiences orient me toward Collaborative Practice. In this process, my clients resolve their own problems with their "other parties." They do this with my help and that of experts in personal finances, child psychology and marriage counseling. Clients who have participated in this process are relieved to work together with their former partners rather than have a result imposed upon them by the judicial system.

I am admitted to practice before the Supreme Court (1984), Supreme Court of Kentucky (1976), Court of Appeals of Maryland (1992), and the DC Court of Appeals (1993). I am also admitted before the various US military appeals courts and the Court of Veterans Appeals. I am also a member of the Bar of the Republic of Korea.

Every year I take several courses, workshops and seminars to learn new skills and sharpen old ones.

Areas of Practice

• Family Law 100%
• Collaborative Practice
• Child Support
• Visitation Rights
• Military Divorce
• Alimony
• Marital Agreements
• Marital Property Law
• Marital Property Settlements
• Name Changes
• Post Divorce Modification
• Spousal Support
• Mediation

Bar Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court, 1984
• Kentucky, 1976
• Maryland, 1992
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1993
• South Korea, 1989
• U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals, 1992
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1984

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Collaborative Dispute Resolution Professionals (Founding Member and Past President)
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
• Maryland Collaborative Practice Council (Founding Member)
• Kentucky Bar Association
• Maryland State Bar Association
• DC Bar
• American Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association
• American Association for Justice
• Montgomery County Bar Association
• International Legal Society (Tokyo and Seoul)

Honors and Awards

• Listed in Maryland Superlawyers, 2008 - 2009
• Listed in Washington, DC, Superlawyers, 2008 - 2009
• Listed in Who's Who in American Law
• Listed in Who's Who in America

Classes and Seminars

• Basic Collaborative Law Training, Blue Ridge Legal Aid/CPTI, October 24, 2008 - October 25, 2008
• Multidisciplinary Collaborative Training, Collaborative Practice Training Institute/MICPEL, May 20, 2009 - May 22, 2009

Past Employment Positions

• Military Service - US Army, Major, July 29, 1971 - September 1, 1991

Education

• University of Louisville School of Law, Louisville, Kentucky, 1976
  J.D.
• Judge Advocate General School-U.S. Army, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1984
  LL.M., equivalent
• Hobart College, Geneva, New York, 1971
  B.A.
  Major: Sociology
  Major: Political Science
• U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 1987

Ancillary Businesses

• Trainer, Collaborative Practice Training Institute

Accepts Credit Cards

Address

51 Monroe Street Suite 701
Rockville, MD 20850-2436

Office Hours

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Phones

(301) 576-0950
(866) 919-9723

Faxes

(301) 762-8539

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.averyuptonlaw.com