PRACTICE FOCUS

Having grown up in a true “modern family,” Emily Gelmann is intimately acquainted with challenging family dynamics and understands how families, and particularly children, will not only survive a divorce but can thrive afterward. Emily’s personal and professional experience enables her to understand clients’ challenges and needs, to help them achieve their goals, and to ensure that they are able to move forward following a divorce. She handles family law matters, including divorce, custody, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and is often court-appointed to represent children in divorce cases.

As a trained mediator and certified collaborative divorce practitioner, Emily is adept at working with clients interested in resolving their issues through alternative dispute resolution without the burden of costly complex divorce litigation. Emily is experienced at designing resolution-oriented processes that address each client’s and each family’s unique needs. However, when litigation is unavoidable, she is equally skilled in the courtroom.

Emily remains up to date on the latest developments and best practices in family law through her involvement in local and state bar associations, and as a Barrister with the Inns of Court of Montgomery County.

PUBLICATIONS

• Email and the Inadvertent Waiver of Attorney Client Privilege, The Maryland Bar Journal, Volume M, Number 2, March/April 2018
• Drink A Pint Smoke A Joint, The importance of Distinguishing Between Substance Use and Substance Abuse In Custody Cases, The Maryland Bar Journal, Volume L, Number 6, November/December 2017
• See Spot. See Spot Run. See Spot Every Other Weekend? More than Just Animals: the Evolution of Pet Custody Cases, The Maryland Bar Journal, Volume XLIX, Number 4, July/August 2016
• What About Susan? Three's Company Not A Crowd: the Importance of Allowing Third Parent Adoptions when Both Legal Parents Consent, Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society, Spring 2015
• Special Considerations for Same-Sex Divorce, MSBA Family Law Newsletter, May 2015
• How To Do It for the Kids - Insights from a Family Law Attorney, Kids' Turn, June 2013
• Throw Them A Life Raft, Secrets of a Smooth On-Boarding Process and What Every new Associate Should Know, Family Law News, A newsletter published by the Section Council of the Section of Family & Juvenile Law, April 2013
• I’m Just the Oven, It’s Totally Their Bun: the Power and Necessity of the Federal Government to Regulate Commercial Gestational Surrogacy Arrangements and Protect the Legal Rights of Intended Parents, Women’s Rights Law Reporter of Rutgers University School of Law, Spring 2011

HONORS & AWARDS

• Bethesda Magazine Top Attorneys, Family Law (recognition honors the region’s most respected legal practitioners, as chosen by their peers), 2019
• Maryland Super Lawyers magazine, Rising Star (2017-2020)
• Montgomery County, Maryland Bar Foundation, Bar Leader (2015)