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What You Need to Know About Maryland Law

The Complete Legal Guide

Do you know your rights and your options? There is some legal advice that applies to everyone – whether you have an active legal case or not. This is the page where we put the best of that universally applicable legal advice.

We are Maryland civil litigation lawyers, and we wrote this guide so you can quickly & easily discover the answers to your legal questions. You should know your options and be informed before you make big decisions about your Maryland legal case.

You can learn a lot in just 15 minutes by skimming this guide now.

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How to use this guide

The topic of civil laws and civil litigation is very large. It would be impossible to write one generic guide. This guide consist of a series of links to more specific posts on our website. Those posts explain what you need to know about certain civil laws in Maryland. We also have a guide to handling your own small claims case in Maryland.

Click the subjects below to see what information we have available.

This guide was written by Tucker Clagett, a civil litigation attorney at Southern Maryland Law - Andrews, Bongar, Gormley & Clagett.

Our Best Advice: This guide contains general information about Maryland civil law as a helpful resource for the public. Simply reading this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with our law firm.

Reading this guide is no substitute for hiring an attorney. If you have any serious legal issue, you should get personal advice from an attorney who understands the unique facts of your situation.

We hope you will choose us to handle your Maryland civil litigation case. If not, at least talk to another attorney who knows what they are doing. That is the best advice we can ever give you.

Legal Advice to Make Life Easier

Maryland has a lot of laws designed to protect citizens. Many of these laws don’t exist in other states. Since everyone is affected by these laws, we have a series of blog posts on them to educate our clients and the community.

We explain the laws in an easy to read, common sense manner. You should know your rights and be able to enforce them. We hope you find these explanations helpful in your daily life.

Click the links below to see our blog post on the subject.

5 Steps to Legal Safety for Your Family

These are the first 5 things you should do to protect yourself and your family from legal troubles. If you just follow these steps, you will be way ahead. Click here to see our post explaining.

DIY Law - Protective Orders & Domestic Violence

We published two very important posts about how to get your own protective order, and how to find local resources for victims of domestic violence.

DIY Law - How can I litigate my own small claims case?

If you have a case worth under $5,000, then you have a “small claims” case under Maryland law. That means you might be able to handle it yourself without an attorney.

But that doesn’t mean it will be easy! We wrote a legal guide on handling your own small claims case in the Maryland courts.

We wrote a post explaining what you need to know to litigate your own small claims case. It is very comprehensive, and has links to the Court's website and other helpful resources.

You can learn a lot about what to do in about 20 minutes by reading this guide. However, you should at least get a consultation with an attorney to go over your case and review the details. See the last section below.

DIY Law - How to handle your own personal injury case

Can you handle your own personal injury case in Maryland? Maybe. In certain circumstances, you probably can. Read our post if you are considering it - and be sure to heed all the warnings in it!

Settle Your Own Accident Case Without a Lawyer

How an attorney can help?

We strongly recommend anyone facing a civil litigation case at least get a consultation with an attorney to go over the specific facts of their case.

Even if you know the mechanics of how to handle a case, you need to explore the legal issues you will be raising in your lawsuit. You need good advice that you can only get face to face.

If you have a civil legal case and need a lawyer in Waldorf or Lexington Park, we hope you will choose us.

If you need a consultation. please contact us today. We charge $100 for a consultation with a lawyer. No matter what sort of case you have, that is going to be money well spent.


Get More Free Legal Advice!

Like free legal advice? We have a LOT more of it available right here on our website. Click this link to discover all of the free legal advice we offer in blogs, videos, newsletters, social media, etc. We think you should always know your options, be informed, and protect yourself when facing any legal issue. Use this website as a community resource. It is part of how we give back to our community!


What do I do next?

You can either learn more about your legal issue right here on our website, or contact us right now for a consultation.

Don’t wait to discover what you need to know about your legal issue. We wrote many Free Legal Guides so you can get answers to your legal questions today.

Read that guide now. You can learn a lot about your legal problem in about 15 minutes. Then call us for your consultation so we can discuss the particular facts of your case.

If you have a legal issue things you do now will affect your case later. You should always know your options and be informed before you make major decisions about your legal case.

Then contact us for a consultation about your case. Every legal case is different. We will need to discuss the particular facts of your specific case before we can give you the best advice.

Our consultations for cases are always no obligation. We can do them in person, on Zoom, or over the phone. We will listen to the unique facts of your case and explain the law as it applies to you personally.

We will discuss your options so you can make informed, intelligent decisions about your case. Then you know the next steps to take.

Contact us today. We will make it convenient for you to get answers.

Schedule Your Consultation Today!

Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

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I was involved in a motorcycle collision in 2013, it required a year of physical therapy, and 38 days in the hospital. Tucker Clagett worked with my wife and I while managing all legal affairs for us. I had to only focus on my recover while he and his staff handled all other aspects of the claim process. Professional and fair in all aspects.


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Michael G. Google
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

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This law firm was absolutely the best! All the stuff was so friendly and the lawyer that took care of my case was amazing. Tucker Clagett and his paralegals were great. This is a really caring law firm and I would recommend anyone who has to deal with workers comp to this lawyer or anyone to this law firm.


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If you are looking for the best legal representation possible, I would highly recommend David Gormley. I can assure you that you will receive competent legal advice that includes a sensitive ear and a willingness to accommodate a client’s special needs. You can be confident that having received over 7 years of legal advice from Mr. Gormley my comments are given without reservation.


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Bernardine L.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

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My consultation with D'Erra Jackson was excellent and very professional. I felt that she was very patient with me and answered all of my questions. She prepared me for what to expect and did not sugar coat the truth without being crass or offensive. She also took the time to give me options on what I should try to make sure I received a fair deal. With her preparation, we were able to work out an agreement that works for my situation. Thank you!


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Jovial M.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

From the first time that when I met with Attorney Gormley he was attentive and showed concerned about my situation. He was very strategic about his approach to my situation. The staff is very professional and proficient. I would recommend him and use him on my future legal matters. Thank you for being genuine and sincere and caring about your clients and their best interests.


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Delphine B. Google
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

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This firm is excellent! I greatly appreciate the detailed counsel provided to me by Mr. David Gormley who guided me to the best attorney to meet my unique needs. I am very happy with the outcome and I am grateful for Mr. Gormley’s counsel and recommendation.


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Quon W. Google
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each of you for all your efforts on my behalf which resulted in a resounding victory today in Court. I appreciated your pleasant, patient demeanor, which helped me to know I handed over my car accident case to the right Firm. Thank you for your evident hard-work ethic, your thoroughness, and your high level of professionalism. I will highly recommend your Firm to friends and family should they be in a similar situation such as mine.


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Serahnese J.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

Several years ago, I used this law firm to help me write a will after my divorce. This year, I went to them again, this time with a renter dispute. I was very surprised when I found out that the consultation was free because I was a former client. Plus, I still received the same excellent service and legal help that I needed. I will definitely continue to use Southern Maryland Law for all of my legal needs.


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Diane S.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

Thank you for all the great information you have easily available on your website. This resource has been a great help.


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Marilyn J.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

I HIGHLY recommend Tucker Clagett, as an attorney. He is very knowledgeable, dedicated, sympathetic, honest, and has excellent communication skills. I was in a traumatic car accident. From the moment I first spoke with Tucker, I knew he was a one of kind. He is very down to earth and he makes you feel like you are his ONE and ONLY client. My case ended HIGHLY in my favor, thanks to Tucker and his firm.


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Lindsay G.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

Thank you for the information! I will look into how a small claims case would work and whether it’d do any good for my situation. Your website will continue being a fantastic resource!


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Jacob F.
Over 2000+ Satisfied Clients

Client Testimonial

Hi Tucker! My stress factor has gone down tremendously! Thanks so much for you and your staff making that possible. I never thought that I would be saying this, but I miss you guys.


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Wayne J.

Why Choose Southern Maryland Law?

Southern Maryland Law Firm.

We are your community law firm

We have been a vibrant part of Waldorf for over 60 years. Waldorf has been very good to us, and we try to repay that kindness with community service. We believe giving back to our Waldorf community is part of our job.

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The senior law firm in Waldorf

We are the oldest law firm in Waldorf, and the 2nd oldest in all of Southern Maryland! We have stayed busy because we get results and treat our clients right. We would never have lasted this long if we did not.

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Large enough, yet small enough

We are large enough to provide full service, but small enough to focus on you. The large firms that have satellite offices in Waldorf have dozens of attorneys who don’t live here. They use case managers to handle their clients. At Southern Maryland Law, you will be a name – not a number.

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Not your grandfather’s law firm

While our firm has been around a long time, we are not what you think lawyers are like. We pride ourselves on being a little more approachable, a little more casual, and a little more likeable than the average lawyer. We are real people with real solutions to your real problems.

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