Partner
Vincent Wills has been practicing law in Maryland for almost 32 years, with 27 of them focused almost exclusively on family law matters, including contested custody cases and complex financial litigation involving alimony, distribution of marital property, and the division of retirement benefits. He is known throughout the legal community for his knowledge of family law and his courtroom skills. He has also handled numerous appellate cases, five of which have resulted in reported appellate opinions. He is also a mediator, trained parent coordinator, Best Interest Attorney, and has occasionally testified as an expert witness in family law cases.
Vince is one of only 39 members in the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and is currently the President-Elect of the Maryland Chapter. He is also a member of the Maryland State Bar Association Family and Juvenile Law Section, serving as the Chair in June 2014 to June 2015. He is a former Co-Chair of the Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, and a Bar Leader of the Montgomery County Bar Association. He has been a frequent lecturer for the Maryland State Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association. Vince has also developed and presented continuing legal education programs to Judges and Magistrates at the Judicial College of Maryland. He has co-authored numerous published articles and training materials on topics in family law.
For many years, including 2022, Mr. Wills was named as one of the top lawyers in family law by the Washingtonian Magazine. In 2022, Mr. Wills was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Washingtonian Magazine for being named to the Top Lawyers List for 10 of the past 15 years. For 2023, as in the past several years, Super Lawyers named him as one of the top family law attorneys in Maryland. In 2017, he was named the Family Law Practitioner of the Year by the Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association.
Vince is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park (B.S. 1981). Following graduation, he served on active duty for four years in the United States Air Force, achieving the rank of Captain. His service included a three-year assignment in the former West Germany. Mr. Wills earned a master of science degree in business administration from Boston University while serving in the military, and in 1991 he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore (cum laude). He has also completed the Georgetown University 2016 eDiscovery Training Academy and the Arkfeld Online eDiscovery and Digital Evidence Course. Vince has been married for over 40 years and has two adult children.
Awards & Honors
- 2022 Lifetime Achievement Recipient Washingtonian Magazine
- Washingtonian Magazine Top Lawyer (10 of past 15 years)
- Super Lawyers 2009 – 2023
- AV Preeminent Rating in Martindale-Hubble
- 10.0 Avvo Rating
- Family Law Practitioner of the Year/ Montgomery County Bar Ass’n 2017
Presentations
- “When Child Support is Not Just Plugging in the Numbers,” Maryland Judicial College, January 31, 2023
- “Understanding the History and Role of a Best Interest Attorney,” Maryland Chapter of the Ass’n of Family and Conciliation Courts, October 21, 2022
- “Non-Marital Tracing in Retirement/Stock Accounts,” Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Ass’n, September 15, 2022
- “Monetary Awards,” Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Ass’n, April 26, 2022
- “Breaking [Up] Bad: Maryland Custody Roles, Rules, and Trends,” Ass’n of Practicing Psychologists, Montgomery-Prince George’s Counties, Inc., May 16, 2021
- “Family Law Evening Series: Part 4: Trial Preparation,” Family Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Ass’n, April 28, 2021
- “Family Law 202: Discovery,” Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, March 26, 2021
- “Application of Daubert Reliability Factors to Custody Evaluations,” Family Law Section the Montgomery County Bar Ass’n, December 17, 2020
- “Application of Daubert Reliability Factors to Custody Evaluations,” Maryland State Bar Ass’n, November 12, 2020
- “Common Evidentiary Issues in Family Law,” Maryland Judicial College, April 16, 2019
- “Electronically Stored Information: An Overview for Practitioners, Family Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Ass’n, April 2018
- “Determining Income for a Self-Employed Parent When Calculating Child Support,” Maryland Judicial College, February 27, 2018
Articles
- Dorothy R. Fait, Vincent M. Wills, and Sylvia F. Borenstein, The Merits of and Problems with Presumptions for Joint Custody, Maryland Bar Journal, January/February 2012.
- Vincent M. Wills, P. Lindsay Parvis. When Do I Become A Spy, Maryland Bar Journal, May/June 2009.
- Cynthia Callahan and Vincent M. Wills, Maryland Child Support Guidelines – Time for an Overhaul?, Maryland Bar Journal, May/June 2006.
- Cynthia Callahan and Vincent M. Wills, Joint Legal Custody, Maryland Law Journal, May/June 2005.
- Cynthia Callahan and Vincent M. Wills, Searching for Answers about the Role of the Guardian ad Litem, Maryland Bar Journal, May/June 2003.