Prudence Avery Upton, Esquire
Family law involves guiding families through their most difficult times — divorce, custody disputes, support issues. I do my best to get my clients through doing the least damage possible to the family relationships. In many cases this results in some sort of agreement between the parties to resolve their dispute. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to take the case through the court system to have a judge decide. When that happens I bring my litigative skills to bear.
I am frequently appointed to be a Best Interest Attorney by the court to represent children in custody cases. These cases are already contentious; otherwise the court would not appoint me. When my clients are the children I make my own determination as to what is in their best interests and bring that to the court for the judge to consider in making the final decision.
Whether my client is the children or one of the adults, I look for ways to help them come to the best outcome, be it agreement or court judgment.
Bar Admissions
- Maryland, 2002
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 2003
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland
Honors & Awards
- Listed in Maryland Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2009 - 2013
- Listed in Maryland Super Lawyers, 2015 - 2020
Education
- American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
J.D. cum laude - 2002 - Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
B.A. cum laude - 1996
Major: History/English
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Collaborative Dispute Resolution Professionals, Founding Member and Past President
- Maryland State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- Bar Association of Montgomery County
- Member of the Montgomery County Inn of Court for the 2013-2014 year, Barrister
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Child Custody
- Divorce
- Suport
- Alimony
- Domestic Violence
- Separation Agreements
- Parent Coordination
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation