Stuart Muntzing Skok - Rockville, MD

Stuart Skok is owner and principal of Stuart Skok Law LLC, in Rockville, Maryland, opened in 2017 after being a partner in larger firms throughout her career. She is licensed to practice in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and now in Colorado after moving there in 2020. Stuart practiced family law in Colorado for 2 years, while continuing her Maryland practice remotely, and gained invaluable perspective on new approaches to family law, which she now applies to her full-time practice in Maryland. Stuart is now also authoring her latest book entitled “The 5-Step Healing Divorce Guide” designed to streamline healing relationship trauma following a breakup or divorce, based on modern sciences, ancient philosophies, empirical data, and real-life divorce stories

As an experienced Matrimonial and Family Law lawyer for 30 years now, her practice is devoted to separation, divorce, custody, and other family law matters, in and out of court, at the lower court level, and on appeal. She also handles post-divorce modification and contempt, domestic violence proceedings, prenuptial and separation agreements. She is certified in Collaborative Law, where parties agree to resolve their family law disputes out of court in a private team-approached process. She is also certified in Divorce Mediation, where she is appointed by the Court or hired by parties to mediate their family law dispute. Stuart has also served as a Best Interest Attorney or Nagle v. Hooks Attorney (as to therapeutic privilege) representing minor children in divorce cases. Stuart has particular experience in family law cases involving children with special needs, having a special needs child herself. She was featured by SuperLawyers for her work in special needs cases.

She previously published a Handbook on Separation and Divorce, 4th Edition, available for free download to clients and others, with the 5th Edition in the works. This book aims to simplify and answer some of the basic family law questions. Stuart also enjoys lecturing on family law topics for Continuing Legal Education of other lawyers, as well as programs for the public, which she has done throughout her career.

Every year for the past 16 years (2009 – 2025), Stuart has been selected and named by SuperLawyers as a Top Family Law Attorney in Maryland and D.C., including Top 25 SuperLawyers in Maryland and Top 50 SuperLawyers in D.C. The SuperLawyers selection criteria and process is stringent, based on private peer votes of other lawyers, and only the top 5% of lawyers in the State are selected. Likewise, Best Lawyers, an independent organization that publishes peer ratings of lawyers, has consistently recognized and named Stuart and Stuart Skok Law LLC as a leading family law attorney in Maryland and D.C., including the following awards: Best Family Law Lawyers, Best Lawyers in Maryland, Best Lawyers in D.C., Top 100 Attorneys in Maryland, Top 100 Attorneys in Maryland, Leading Women in Law, Top Lawyer for Collaborative and Family Law and Best Lawyers in America.

In addition, on the rating system that applies to all lawyers, Stuart has been awarded the highest rating of A-V Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, in 2017 she earned the Gold Client Champion Award from Martindale-Hubbel, based on client on-line reviews. Fewer than 1% of attorneys have achieved this client award, making her part of an elite group of attorneys showcased for their commitment to the best in client service.

Soon after opening Stuart Skok Law LLC, Stuart was named “Attorney of the Month” in January/February 2018. Stuart has been also been recognized for her work in multiple other news publications, including Bethesda Magazine (Top Family Law Attorney), Baltimore Magazine (Top 50 Women Attorneys in Maryland), Washington Lawyer (Top 50 Women Attorneys in D.C.), and Ten Leaders Cooperative (Top Ten Leaders in Collaborative). In 2018, Stuart was also awarded the prestigious Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who in America and featured among their Top Professionals.

The National Advocates: Top 100 Lawyers selected Stuart as one of the Top 100 Matrimonial and Family Law Attorneys in Maryland. This organization is comprised of America’s top lawyers who represent individuals and families in the legal system and is by invitation only to 100 lawyers in each State who exemplify superior qualifications and leadership in the practice of Matrimonial and Family Law.

As for client ratings, Stuart has been consistently recognized by AVVO with a 10/10 Rating for client service and achievement. AVVO is an on-line service to help individuals find an attorney by providing profiles, verified reviews and ratings for lawyers.

Stuart has been a leader in the legal community throughout her career. She was active in establishing the collaborative divorce community in Maryland when it started in 2007, helping design the protocols and practices used today. She was President of Collaborative Divorce Association, Inc. (CDA) , and served on its Board.

Stuart twice served as Co-Chair of the Family Law Section for Montgomery County Bar Association in Maryland, and awarded “Co-Chair of the Year” in each term, an award given to only one Section of the Bar each year. She was President of the Montgomery County Women’s Bar Association, and served on the Board. She has testified before the Maryland House Judiciary Committee on family law legislation. She was a Pupil and Barrister with the Montgomery County Inn of Court, an organization of lawyers and judges selected to present programs that enhance the knowledge and practice of law. For over 15 years, she served on the Peer Review Panel for the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland, the governing organization in charge of enforcing legal ethics of lawyers. She remains a Bar Leader for the Montgomery County Bar Association, an organization of the top leaders within the Bar Association.

She previously served on the Board of the Collaborative Project of Maryland (CPM), an organization that provides free and low-fee collaborative divorce services to families that cannot afford the collaborative process and also provides training to newly certified collaborative divorce lawyers. Stuart believes that the collaborative divorce process, a non-adversarial and private resolution process, is an invaluable process to offer clients because it is the only process that puts family first. The Collaborative Process protects children from much of the conflict that arises during the traditional divorce process and assists parents in developing a cooperative co-parenting relationship so children and parents can sustain their relationships and share milestones throughout their lives after the divorce. The parties, together with their team of Collaborative Professionals (e.g. attorney, mental health professional, child specialist, financial professional) meet to discuss all the issues needed to reach a durable agreement that serves the needs of the family as a whole.

Stuart is a member of the Maryland State and Federal Courts, District of Columbia State Bar, the Colorado Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. Stuart grew up in Maryland and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Denver, where she began her interest in the law on the D.U. debate team. She received her law degree from West Virginia University College of Law, where her grandfather, the late Judge Gus H. Muntzing of Hardy County, WV, was an alumnus. Law school was where she decided to be a trial lawyer and won 1st place in the Lugar Moot Trial Competition, the highest honor to receive for trial practice in law school. She was inspired to be a lawyer by her grandfather as well as her late father, L. Manning Muntzing, a renowned international nuclear lawyer in D.C. and former President of the American Nuclear Society, who devoted his wisdom and life to the advancement of safe nuclear power in our world. Her father serves as her inspiration on “doing something that matters to you and to the world every day.” She resides in Elizabeth, Colorado, has 2 children, and enjoys all the beauty that Colorado has to offer.

While Stuart’s specialty and passion for the practice of law is family law, she enjoys handling other kinds of litigation matters for clients from time to time, be it a federal court civil dispute or lower court civil jury trial. She is committed to helping every client with all of their legal needs, or making sure to get them to the right resource. Each case has its own path and strategy, she believes, and no case is too small or too big.