Blawg of Attorney Christine M Bechtold

I f you have a shared minor child and plan to be divorced in the State of Georgia you will likely be required to attend a parenting class or seminar. Requirements, schedules, and fees 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 and domestic relations action before the court. The program may be administered by the court or by contract with a private agency. The seminar shall be conducted by qualified personnel whose professional and educational experiences include a knowledge of children and families. " 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.“ alcovycircuit.com . “ The seminar focuses on the developmental needs of children, with emphasis on fostering the child&

Sharing custody of your child with your ex is challenging, holidays can make that challenge even more difficult. Here are some tricks to have a happy co-parenting Halloween:  1. Confirm your visitation schedule as soon as possible. Even if you think you know the visitation plan for Halloween, it is always a good idea to confirm at least one week in advance.    2. If you have a Parenting Plan through the Court, follow that schedule, however, you can adjust Halloween visitation if both parties agree.   3. Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, which can impact regular visitation schedules. Confirm visitation drop-off and pick-up times to ensure both parties have a chance to enjoy the holiday with your child.     4. Think outside the box. There will be Halloween activities around town all weekend. Be open to visitation on days other than just October 31 st . For example, on Saturday, October 30, 2021 “Trick or Treat on Main Street in Loganville will take place this year from 4-6 p.m. on

  If you share a minor child with your ex it is important that you have a schedule for your child this upcoming Thanksgiving break. The State of Georgia requires that separated parents have, “a parenting time schedule, with an outline making clear who the child will spend time with for each day of the year.” https://georgia.gov . The State does not require that parents follow a specific holiday schedule; this allows parents to be creative and follow a schedule that works for them. Most schools in Georgia have off for Thanksgiving the entire week from Monday, November 25, 2019 through Friday, November 29, 2019, including: Barrow, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, and Walton Counties. www.barrow.k12.ga.us , www.fultonschools.org , publish.gwinnett.k12.ga.us , www.newtoncountyschools.org , portal.walton.k12.ga.us . Some parents follow their regular schedule during the Thanksgiving break, while others divide up the week. “You can divide Thanksgiving Day and Thanksgiving weekend so one parent h

If you have a shared minor child and plan to be divorced in the State of Georgia you will likely be required to attend a parenting class or seminar. Requirements, schedules, and fees 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) . “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.” alcovycircuit.com . “The seminar focuses on the developmental needs of children, with emphasis on fostering the child's emotional health during periods of stress.” gwinnettcourts.com . Information on local county parenting classes are listed below: Alcovy (Newton and Walton Counties): Fee : $25.00, cash or money order. Attendance :

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 increase; - Physical di

If you have a shared minor child and plan to be divorced in the State of Georgia you will likely be required to attend a parenting class or seminar. Requirements, schedules, and fees 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). “ 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. ” alcovycircuit.com “The seminar focuses on the developmental needs of children, with emphasis on fostering the child's emotional health during periods of stress.” gwinnettcourts.com Information on local county parenting classes are listed below: Alcovy (Newton and Walton Counties): Fee : $25.00, cash or money order Attendance : Di

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is my tax filing status while my divorce is pending? "Married persons. You are married for the whole year if you are separated but you have not obtained a final decree of divorce or separate maintenance by the last day of your tax year . An interlocutory decree is not a final decree." Determine your tax filing status by consulting the IRS website at: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p504/ar02.html#en_US_2014_publink1000175820 . The Law Office of Christine M Bechtold, LLC is a general law firm focusing on family law and does not provide tax services or advice. Call 770-466-2700 or email Christine@Bechtold-Law.com to schedule your free family law initial consultation. Visit www.Bechtold-Law.com for free information.

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 August, 2015. Alcovy (Walton and Newton Counties) $205.00 www.alcovycircuit.com Athens-Clark County $215.00 athensclarkecounty.com Dekalb County $210.00 www.dksuperiorclerk.com Fulton County $221.00 www.fcclk.org Gwinnett County $206.00 www.gwinnettcourts.com Rockdale County $205.00 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 post: How Much AreYour Legal Fees For A Divorce? . Contact the Law Office of Christi