Stuart Skok Law & The Next Chapter LLC - Rockville, MD

Stuart Skok is the owner and principal of Stuart Skok Law LLC (now Stuart Skok Law & The Next Chapter LLC) in Rockville, Maryland, which she founded in 2017 after a successful career as a partner at larger firms. She is licensed to practice in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Colorado, where she relocated in 2020. For two years, Stuart practiced family law in Colorado alongside her Maryland practice, gaining valuable insights into innovative approaches to family law. She now applies these insights to her full-time practice, both remotely and in-person at her Rockville office. Stuart is also authoring a book, The 5-Step Healing Divorce Guide, aimed at streamlining the healing process after a breakup or divorce using modern science, ancient philosophies, empirical data, and real-life divorce stories.

With 30 years of experience in Matrimonial and Family Law, Stuart specializes in cases related to separation, divorce, custody, and other family law matters, including appeals. Her practice extends to post-divorce modifications, contempt, domestic violence proceedings, and prenuptial and separation agreements. Stuart is certified in Collaborative Law, a process where parties work with a team of professionals to resolve disputes outside of court, and in Divorce Mediation, where she mediates disputes as a court-appointed or privately hired professional. She has also served as a Best Interest Attorney or Nagle v. Hooks Attorney for minor children in divorce cases.

For the past 16 years (2009-2025), Stuart has been named by Super Lawyers as a Top Family Law Attorney in Maryland and D.C., including Top 25 Super Lawyers in Maryland and Top 50 Super Lawyers in D.C. The Super Lawyers selection process is based on rigorous peer reviews and recognizes only the top 5% of lawyers in each state. Stuart has also been consistently recognized by Best Lawyers as a leading family law attorney in Maryland and D.C. and has earned several accolades, including Best Family Law Lawyers, Top 100 Attorneys in Maryland, Top 100 Attorneys in D.C., and Best Lawyers in America.

Stuart is particularly skilled in family law cases involving children with special needs, drawing from her personal experience as the parent of a child with special needs. Super Lawyers have recognized her for her work in special needs cases.

Stuart holds the highest rating of A-V Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell and earned the Gold Client Champion Award in 2017 for outstanding client service. Fewer than 1% of attorneys have achieved this distinction.

In 2018, Stuart was named “Attorney of the Month” by Bethesda Magazine and recognized in Baltimore Magazine as one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in Maryland. She also received the Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who in America, which honored her among their Top Professionals.

Stuart has been recognized by The National Advocates as one of the Top 100 Matrimonial and Family Law Attorneys in Maryland. This invitation-only organization represents America’s top family lawyers based on their qualifications and leadership.

Stuart has consistently earned a 10/10 rating for client service and achievement on AVVO, an online platform for attorney profiles and ratings. Stuart is also the author of Handbook on Separation and Divorce (4th Edition), to help clients with simple answers to basic family law questions, now available for free download. A 5th Edition is currently in the works. She enjoys speaking on family law topics at Continuing Legal Education events for lawyers, as well as other public programs including testimony before the Maryland House Judiciary Committee on family law legislation. She was a Pupil and Barrister with the Montgomery Inn of Court, an organization of lawyers and judges selected to present programs that enhance the knowledge and practice of law.

Throughout her career, Stuart has been a leader in the legal community. She helped establish the Collaborative Divorce community in Maryland in 2007, where she also served as President of the Collaborative Divorce Association, Inc. (CDA). She was a two-term Co-Chair of the Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, awarded Co-Chair of the Year in each term. She has also served as President of the Montgomery County Women’s Bar Association, and serve on its Board.

Stuart served the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland for over 15 years as a Panel Member for Peer Review hearings and remains a Bar Leader for the Montgomery County Bar Association.

Stuart is passionate about the Collaborative Divorce Process, which prioritizes family and child well-being over adversarial conflict. This process involves a team of professionals—such as attorneys, mental health experts, child specialists, and financial advisors—working together to reach a cooperative resolution. Stuart also served on the Board of the Collaborative Project of Maryland (CPM), which provides free or low-cost collaborative divorce services to families in need.

She is admitted to practice in Maryland, Washington D.C., Colorado, and before the United States Supreme Court.

Stuart grew up in Maryland and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Denver, where she became interested in law as a member of the Debate Team. She went on to earn her law degree from West Virginia University College of Law, where she won 1st place in the Lugar Moot Trial Competition. During law school, she clerked for the late Judge Charles R. Richey, federal judge in D.C. Stuart was inspired to pursue law by her grandfather, Judge Gus H. Muntzing, and her late father, L. Manning Muntzing, a renowned international nuclear lawyer who inspired her to do “work that matters” to yourself and the world.

Stuart resides in Elizabeth, Colorado, with her two children and enjoys exploring the natural beauty of Colorado. While her primary focus is family law, she has taken on other types of litigation, from civil disputes in federal court to jury trials in lower courts. Stuart’s philosophy is that every case, regardless of size, deserves careful strategy and attention.