Blawg of Attorney Christine M Bechtold

Under Georgia law, both parents of children under the age of 18 years old in a divorce, separate maintenance, paternity, change of custody, visitation, legitimation, and any other domestic action, are required to attend a parenting seminar. Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.8 . The divorcing parent’s seminar “focuses on the developmental needs of children, with emphasis on fostering the child’s emotional health during periods of stress.” Gwinnett Courts Parenting Seminar The seminar must be completed within 31 days of the original complaint and should be attended in the County which the action was filed. Certificates will be issued after completing the seminar. If a parent cannot attend the class in the County the divorce was filed, they should contact their county superior court and see if their county holds an acceptable parenting seminar. Since the seminar is mandatory in Georgia there are many classes available to suit parent’s schedules. The Gwinnett County Divorcing Parent’

If your spouse has been away from your marriage, you should consult an attorney to protect your legal interests. People sometimes ask if they can have a divorce based on the fact that their spouse has left them. The simple answer is yes, but it may be difficult to prove. In Georgia there are 13 grounds for divorce, 12 of which are fault grounds, meaning that the divorce is the result of one spouse’s behavior. O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3 .  Desertion is the willful and continued desertion by either of the parties for one year. GA Bar . In order to have a fault divorce based on desertion, you must show that your spouse has been away from your marriage for 12 consecutive months and that they were away willfully. This reason for divorce is not common because most people obtain a legal separation of divorce prior to a year long separation. Additionally, if spouses have been apart for a year they have likely already separated their assets and debts and an uncontested, or no-fault, divorce may b