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Geraldine Welikson Hess

Alimony Attorney at Rockville, MD

5.0   6 reviews

also known as Geraldine Pamela Welikson

  • State Years
    Dist. of Columbia - DC 29 years
    Virginia - VA 30 years
    Maryland - MD 30 years
    New York - NY 30 years
  • Licensed for 29 years
    State DC
    Acquired 1994
    Status
    Good Standing No misconduct found
  • Licensed for 30 years
    State VA
    Acquired 1993
    Status
    Active No misconduct found
  • Licensed for 30 years
    State MD
    Acquired 1993
    Status
    Active No misconduct found
  • Licensed for 30 years
    State NY
    Acquired 1993
    Status
    Currently Registered No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Geraldine

Learn Geraldine’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Alimony
    20%

    30 years

  2. Child custody
    20%

    30 years

  3. Child support
    20%

    30 years

  4. Divorce and separation
    20%

    30 years

  5. Family
    20%
    Alimony, custody, chid support, property, divorce, separation agreements. Litigation and collaborative practice.

    30 years

I am a thorough, innovative and tough litigator who explores and prepares for an amicable negotiation simultaneously while preparing for trial.  I am an experienced collaborative lawyer and believe that it is best to reach an amicable resolution but when that is not possible we are prepared to litigate.  

I am an member of the US Supreme Court.  I have passed the bar exams in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.  

 

Contact Geraldine

Similar lawyers nearby

Hess Family Law
451 Hungerford Drive
Suite 119-307
Rockville, MD, 20850

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  6 customer reviews
5 Star
 
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Posted by Christina | November 5, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Geraldine Hess is an excellent divorce lawyer, and I am so grateful to have found her
I spent way more time and effort to select my divorce lawyer than I ever did to choose my (now ex) husband. I did extensive online research. I read tons of testimonials. I even listened to divorce podcasts and took notes. On paper, Geraldine Hess stood out among the other divorce lawyers I considered because she is Fellow of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), and her practice is 100% focused on family law. In practice, Geraldine Hess ended up being an advocate I could TRUST to help me navigate through one of the worst times in my life. I liked working with Geraldine because she was always tactful and professional, but at the same time, she never sugar coated anything or tip toed around difficult things that needed to be said or done. I loved that she was so straightforward and honest, while also being fair and kind. I also really appreciated how tough Geraldine was, both mentally and emotionally. I don’t mean that she was a junk yard bull dog with a spiked collar and a loud bark. I mean that nothing surprised her or shocked her or threw her off her game. If my husband had set himself on fire while on the witness stand, Geraldine would probably have to stifle a yawn. Beyond that, Geraldine was organized, reliable, and responsive, as were her assistants. She ran a tight ship, and I knew that she would never let anything fall through the cracks. During my divorce, I ended up needing a criminal lawyer and then a contract lawyer. Geraldine referred me to two excellent attorneys who were both trustworthy and excellent in their fields. Geraldine Hess has my highest recommendation. I hope never to get divorced again, but if I did, I would call Geraldine right away.
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Posted by anonymous | March 30, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Highly Recommend
The short version: If you need a family law attorney, go to Geraldine. She is smart, dedicated, no nonsense (but still kind), will keep you well informed and quickly and fully responds to questions. Bottom line, she takes care of business and does so extremely efficiently. The long (yet still shortened) version: My spouse and I decided to get divorced and started off with the collaborative divorce process. As the collaborative process neared completion, my spouse terminated the collaborative process despite the advice of counsel and a mutual divorce coach. Shortly after terminating the collaborative process, my spouse hired a new attorney and filed for divorce while making many false and vicious accusations along with unreasonable and upsetting requests to the court. I obtained a new family law attorney/law group and a very contentious process ensued. After many months, not much progress had been made and my attorneys were convinced that settling outside of court was not likely. My attorneys therefore significantly increased their retainer and informed me that they would have to withdraw from my case if I was unable to pay the new retainer. At this point I had amassed a significant amount of debt and could not afford the amount they requested. They withdrew from my case. I was at a complete loss for what to do. I was financially destroyed, the emotional stress of the past year and a half was taking its toll on me and I didn’t know where to turn. Then I found Geraldine and retained her services. Almost immediately the tone of the process changed and I felt like progress was being made. Geraldine quickly got up to speed with my case and hit the ground running. She laid out the options and scenarios, explained what she was thinking and why and developed a strategy for moving forward. She kept me fully informed and answered any questions I had every step of the way. A few months after Geraldine came on board, my case was settled and with an outcome that was significantly better than what I was expecting and better than previous offers made to my spouse which had been turned down. Having the unfortunate, and likely uncommon, experience of working with multiple family law attorneys, I can say that Geraldine is awesome at her job! She did much more for me than any prior attorney in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost. I never write reviews. However, felt compelled to write one for Geraldine as 1) a way to acknowledge and thank her for a job very well done and 2) to hopefully help others out there who find themselves going through a divorce. It is not fun. It is not easy. However, having the right attorney makes a world of difference.
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Posted by anonymous | December 11, 2015
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Strongly recommend
Geraldine became my lawyer in 1996. She attempted to settle my case, which involved child support, child custody, and property settlement, amicably. However, my former spouse made things extremely difficult. Geraldine recognized that we would need to change the strategy for my case, and she made the change seamlessly. She represented me well, which resulted in my being awarded primary custody of my children. She also ensured that I was able to maintain my retirement savings (my former spouse had depleted his after our separation, and he wanted half of mine). My former spouse took me to Court twice after our divorce to reduce the amount of child support he was paying. I retained Geraldine for both of those cases and found her to be just as thorough as she had been during my divorce. My case has been closed for some time now, but I still consult with Geraldine as needed. Geraldine is smart, meticulous, honest, knowledgeable, and accessible, and I strongly recommend her to anyone who needs a divorce attorney.
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Posted by anonymous | January 30, 2012
Fantastic!
Geraldine saw me through a very contentious and protracted divorce and custody litigation. She was always well prepared, and organized. She made sure that my ex-husband's suit to remove my child from private school, custody, custody appeal, and my divorce were resolved in my favor. She is simply the best.
Posted by anonymous | January 8, 2012
Highly responsive and thorough in consideration of the financial and personal needs of myself and my children.
After interviewing several attorneys, I chose Geraldine for her expert negotiating skills and "even hand". What Geraldine provided to me exceeded my expectations. She was careful to explain all of the implications in making decisions throughout my settlement negotiations. She raised concerns that I would not have otherwise considered, and am thankful for that awareness, as it has protected me in my financial future, and my relationship with my children. She was keenly aware of how to specifically negotiate with the other party, and was tough when necessary. She was always mindful of what was in the best interest of my children.
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Posted by anonymous | April 1, 2011
Dedicated, reliable and aggressive when appropriate.
Geraldine worked with me for at least 4 years on a very complicated property and custody case. I found her to be the right combination of calm and pushy. She was clear about when I needed to take certain steps, and was good about explaining the consequences of various actions. While she appeared to be a bit passive during the preparations, she was a tiger in all negotiations and did a great job of representing me.
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Cost

Rates
  • Retainer Always
Payment methods
Cash, Check, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 8.9 (Excellent)

Work Experience

  • Partner
  • Law Office of Cheryl Hepfer
  • 1992 - 2010
  • Contract Attorney
  • United States Department of Justice
  • 1992 - 1992
  • Legal Intern
  • US Senate, Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice
  • 1992 - 1992

Education

  • Washington University School of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1992
  • University of Rochester
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1987

Legal Cases

  • Li v. Lee, Reported Opinion in the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland
  • Court upheld the parties' separation agreement
  • Frankel v Frankel, 886 A.2d 136, 165 Md. App. 533 (Md. App., 2005)
  • The appellate court upheld the lower court decision

Associations

  • American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
  • Fellow, National and Maryland chapters
  • 2004 - Present
  • Collaborative Divorce Association, Inc. Maryland
  • Charter Member
  • N/A
  • Maryland State Bar Association
  • Member
  • N/A
  • Montgomery County Bar Association
  • Member
  • N/A
  • Women's Bar Association of Maryland
  • Member
  • N/A
View all associations

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Best Lawyers
  • U.S. News and World Report
  • 2015
  • Maryland Super Lawyers
  • Super Lawyers
  • 2015
  • BV Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2015
  • Best Lawyers
  • U.S. News and World Report
  • 2014
  • Maryland Super Lawyer
  • Super Lawyers
  • 2014
  • Best Lawyers
  • U.S. News and World Report
  • 2013
  • Super Lawyer
  • Maryland Super Lawyers
  • 2013
  • Best Lawyers
  • Best Lawyers
  • 2012
  • Super Lawyer
  • Maryland Super Lawyers
  • 2011
  • Super Lawyers
  • DC Super Lawyers
  • 2011
  • Super Lawyer
  • Maryland Super Lawyers
  • 2010
  • Super Lawyers
  • DC Super Lawyers
  • 2010
  • Top Divorce Lawyers - Honorable Mention
  • Bethesda Magazine
  • 2010
  • Top Family Law and Divorce Lawyers
  • Washingtonian Magazine
  • 2009
  • Super Lawyers
  • DC Super Lawyers
  • 2009
  • Super Lawyer
  • Maryland Super Lawyers
  • 2009
  • Outstanding Section Chair of the Year
  • Montgomery County Bar Association (Maryland)
  • 2002
  • Award of Appreciate for Serving as President
  • Prince George's County Women's Bar Association
  • 1997
View all awards

Speaking Engagements

  • Family Law 101: Basics for the New Practitioner
  • Defending Your Financial Statement from Attack
  • 2012
  • Expert Witness Skills
  • Depositions
  • 2011

Attorney endorsements

Received (2)
Given (2)
Endorse Geraldine
Family Attorney | Feb 01
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Geraldine is an experienced family lawyer, who is highly respected in the legal community. She is a skilled negotiator and a tough litigator, but she also offers clients her expertise in the collaborative approach. She is thorough and creative and takes the time to understand her clients needs and interests so that she can help them achieve the best outcome. She is committed to keeping her clients informed and to exploring settlement options early on, in an effort to minimize the expense and maximize the potential for an amicable resolution through negotiation and alternative dispute resolution."
Family Attorney | Jan 16
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked with Geraldine on many complicated cases over the years. I have always found her to be thoughtful and creative. She is an excellent negotiator and trial attorney. She always keeps her clients' best interests in mind, and works diligently to negotiate a fair resolution. She has significant knowledge in areas of business valuation and tax consequences, as well as custody and access issues."