Legal Separation, Divorce and Dissolution

Divorce in Georgia can be either an uncontested divorce or a contested divorce. If the parties can resolve all the issues between them without the need for a judge or jury, the divorce is uncontested and, as a general rule, less costly than a contested divorce. On the other hand, many divorces are contested because of the various issues that cannot be easily resolved. Many of these issues involve children, such as child custody, parenting time/visitation, child support, decision-making authority (as it pertains to major decisions for the children), and other forms of support depending upon the age(s) of the child(ren). Other issues include alimony/spousal support, property/asset division, and retirement income and/or retirement accounts. Although this is not an exhaustive list of issues that can be contested, these are some of the more common issues that should be addressed before finalizing a divorce.

Do you need an attorney in Georgia? No. However, one should consider consulting with an attorney prior to attempting to handle their own divorce. In the event that it is an uncontested divorce, the cost of the divorce may be quite reasonable based on the amount of paperwork that will need to be handled and eventually filed with the Court. If the divorce is contested, you risk that the other party will have an attorney, which can easily ͞”tilt the field͟” heavily in favor of that party.

When a potential client has a consultation with me, I do not rush you in and out in 20 minutes. We take the time necessary to discuss your case so that I can get a good understanding and identify potential issues. We will also discuss what you can expect procedurally (step-by-step process) throughout your case. If children are involved, we will spend a sufficient amount of time discussing custody, the types of custody, parenting time/visitation, child support (and how its calculated), and other forms of support for your children (expenses such as daycare, before-school, after-school, private school tuition, extracurricular activities, school supplies, college tuition, etc.). I will provide you with a Financial Affidavit Form to fill out, and we will discuss this Form as it relates to your individual case.