Blawg of Attorney Christine M Bechtold

Email Christine@Bechtold-Law.com to schedule your free consultation in the new year. # NewYearsResolution # FamilyLaw https://twitter.com/BechtoldLaw/status/815906858124845056

May you have a brighter tomorrow with new opportunities. Happy 2017! Contact The Law Office of Christine M Bechtold at Christine@Bechtold-Law.com today to schedule your free initial consultation in the new year.

Know before you go.  Be an informed voter and review a sample ballot for your county before you head to your polling place this Election Day. Sample Ballot for Gwinnett County Georgia:  https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/static/departments/elections/2016_Election/11.08.2016_Consolidated_Ballot_Revise_9_16_16.pdf Sample Ballot for Walton County Georgia: http://www.waltoncountyga.gov/fileadmin/files/Elections_and_Registration/2016/Sample_Ballot_11-8-16.pdf Sample Ballot for Rockdale County Georgia: http://www.rockdalecountyga.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ROCKDALE-COUNTY-SAMPLE-BALLOT-with-WRITEIN-GENERAL-2016.pdf If you do not see your county listed, visit your county website and search for sample ballot.

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

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

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

“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