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Showing posts from July, 2016

Can I Change Back to my Maiden Name?

Yes, you can restore your maiden name after divorce in Georgia. “Your last name does not automatically revert to your former or maiden name once you get divorced.” www.wikihow.com . “In most states, you can request that the judge handling your divorce make a formal order restoring your former or birth name.” www.nolo.com People have many reasons to change (or not change) their name after divorce. In blog post “Should You Change Your Name Back After Divorce?” Jackie Pilossoph lists the following considerations: (1) Children, (2) Reason, (3) Profession, (4) Comfort, and (5) Time. www.huffingtonpost.com . The decision to change your name is a personal decision that only you can make, however, “one reason a woman absolutely should not change her name back to her birth name, is if it is solely for the purpose of avoiding creditors or criminal prosecution.” www.forbes.com . Georgia allows for the restoration of your maiden name with your divorce as long as it is reque

Can I Have My Child Support Amount Changed?

Yes, child support can be modified, but only through court Order. Parties are legally required to pay the court Ordered child support obligation unless and until there is a change to the original Order. If there has been a “substantial change in either parent's income and financial status or the needs of the child” a modification of child support can be submitted to the Court. O.C.G.A. §19-6-15 (k) . Once the modification is submitted to the Court, it will go through the same process as the original Order for child support: financial information will be obtained, a child support worksheet will be calculated, documents will be reviewed by the Court, then the judge will enter a final Order on the modification. “In Georgia, a judge may consider increasing or decreasing child support for the following reasons: The paying party involuntarily loses their job or falls ill; Either parent receives additional income through remarriage; Cost of living inc

Will My Spouse Be Required To Pay For College Expenses For Our Children If We Divorce?

No, the Georgia Courts do not require child support to continue through college. “The duty to provide support for a minor child shall continue until the child reaches the age of majority, dies, marries, or becomes emancipated, whichever first occurs.” O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(e) . Child support generally ends at age 18, but can be continued through age 19 if the child is still in high school. The Courts do not Order child support past the age of 19 unless the parties agree in clear written language. The Georgia Commission on Child Support was formed to establish and regularly review, “child support guidelines, development and maintenance of the Georgia Child Support Calculator, recommending legislation, providing training throughout the State to judges, attorneys, and the public, and many other duties.” http://csc.georgiacourts.gov/ . This Commission ensures that child support is standard across the entire state of Georgia. Any variation on the standard child support duty must be

Who Gets the Dog in Divorce?

“Disputes over pet custody most commonly occur when a couple, married or unmarried, breaks up and both partners want custody of the animal.” stories.avvo.com . “A pet owner might feel that his or her beloved pet is like a child, but Georgia courts simply view pets as personal property.” www.ksfamilylaw.com . “Because pets are personal property legally, the courts do not have to consider their best interest in awarding ownership.” www.animallaw.info . If parties cannot agree to custody of the family pet then the Georgia Court will apply its equitable division standard. “Equity seeks to do that which is fair, and what is fair is not necessarily equal - not in Georgia.” www.avvo.com . In many pet custody issues, parties reach an agreement outside of Court regarding the family pet to avoid fighting in Court over another highly emotional topic. If the parties can not agree on custody of the pet, mediation may be recommended to work out the details outside of Court. Some p

Benefits of an Uncontested Divorce

Divorce in Georgia can be contested or uncontested. “In an uncontested divorce, the spouses reach mutual agreement on relevant issues like alimony, child custody, child support, and asset division.” www.avvo.com . Contested divorces conversely are resolved by the Court and require litigation. There are many benefits to an uncontested divorce in Georgia: the divorce can happen sooner because you resolve the issues on your own time-line and do not need to have a long waiting period with the Court; the process is “usually more efficient” www.divorcenet.com ; it is cheaper because you do not need to hire an attorney to fully represent you in Court; you know the legal fees before you start bechtold-law.com ; it is less stressful because there are less legal proceedings; your private life stays private, “you do not have to list a specific wrongdoing by your spouse to start a divorce, but must only swear that the marriage is “irretrievably broken” ww

Can I Get a Certified Copy of My Final Divorce Order?

Yes, you can request a certified copy of your final divorce Order with the Clerk of Courts where the final Order was entered. For divorce and family law issues, request a certified copy from the Superior Court Clerk. Be sure that you specifically request a certified copy if that is what you need. A legal certified copy is, “a copy of a document signed and certified as a true copy by the officer to whose custody the original is intrusted.” thelawdictionary.org . Some organizations will not accept standard copies and require that your copy be certified. The Superior Court Clerk can assist you with a certified copy request. You should contact the Clerk first to be sure they have the document you will be requesting. Be prepared with your Civil Action Number, the original names of the parties, the County where the case was finalized, and the approximate date of the Order you are requesting. Certified copies are generally only obtained in person at the Clerk's office. Typical

Do I have to take a Divorcing Parent Seminar?

Yes, you will likely be ordered to take a parenting seminar if you are divorcing in Georgia with a shared minor child, but the requirements vary by county. “The superior court judges, under whose authority the program shall function, may require any or all parties to attend an educational seminar of no more than four hours in any domestic relations action before the court.” Georgia Superior Court Rule 24.8(B) Georgia Superior Court Rule 24.8(B) . “The goal of this program is to assist the parents in understanding the impact of divorce on children, reduce potential conflicts, and offer practical solutions to future problems.” www.alcovycircuit.com . “The seminar focuses on the developmental needs of children, with emphasis on fostering the child's emotional health during periods of stress.” www.gwinnettcourts.com . Information on various county parenting programs are listed below: Alcovy (Newton and Walton Counties) $25.00 Divorce action must be filled with the

How Much Does It Cost to File My Divorce? Updated, July 2016

Divorce cases are filed as Domestic Civil Cases in Superior Court. Filing fees to the Superior Court vary by county, see list and links below for the most recent filing fees as of July, 2016. Alcovy (Walton and Newton Counties) $210.00 www.alcovycircuit.com Athens-Clark County $215.00 athensclarkecounty.com Dekalb County $214.00 www.dksuperiorclerk.com Fulton County $221.00 www.fcclk.org Gwinnett County $211.00 www.gwinnettcourts.com Rockdale County $209.00 www.rockdaleclerk.com The filing fee is paid to the Clerk’s office for the filing and processing of your case. If your case requires service of process by the Sheriff, there is a separate fee to the Sheriff’s office of $50.00 per person, per address. If your county is not listed above, call the Clerk of the Superior Court in your county for the most recent fees. This is an update to the prior 2015 post: How Much Does It Cost to File My Divorce? . 

Can't I Just Separate from My Spouse?

Yes, married parties can separate at anytime, but divorce is only valid when it goes through the Court. “Because marriages are legal contracts, the law requires that they be dissolved by the court.” www.georgialegalaid.org . If you are considering a separation from your spouse, be sure to have open communication and discuss with a family law attorney about obtaining a written separation agreement. Legal separations go through the Superior Court in Georgia the same way as a divorce. “Unlike divorce, a legal separation does not put an end to the marriage, it enables you to live separately but remain married.” divorcesupport.about.com . A legal separation, “isn't very common, but there are situations where spouses don't want to divorce for religious, financial, or personal reasons, but do want the certainty of a court order that says they're separated and addresses all the same issues that would be decided in a divorce.” www.nolo.com . “Legal separation is useful when

Can I Get Discounted Legal Services for Family Law?

Yes, there are options available for discounted legal services for family law issues. First, you need to know if you have a criminal or civil case. “Criminal laws are the rules that apply when someone commits a crime, such as assault, robbery, murder, arson, rape and other kinds of crimes.” www.lawhelp.org . Civil cases involve those where one person is suing another. Family law cases (divorce, child custody) are civil cases. “Under U.S. law, if you have been accused of a crime that may lead to jail time, the judge should assign a government-paid lawyer called a public defender or legal aid lawyer to represent you in court...” ww.lawhelp.org . Public defenders are not assigned for civil cases. There are resources available for discounted legal services for civil cases. GeorgiaLegalAid.org is one whose, “goal is to provide the public with easy Internet access to basic legal information and legal resources in Georgia.” http://www.georgialegalaid.org/ . “If you do

Independence Day 2016

Independence Day is one of the most important federal holidays in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which declared our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. bechtold-law.blogspot.com.   “Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument.” www.archives.gov. “What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in ‘self-evident truths’ and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.” www.archives.gov. In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson describes why the Declaration is necessary:  "For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.” www.archives.gov. "For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establis