A guardian is an individual who accepts legal responsibility for a child under 18 (a minor). In Georgia you can seek a temporary guardianship or permanent guardianship. Temporary Guardianship orders authorize individuals to care for minor children when parents are unable to care for their children temporarily. Guardianship orders may be required to register the […]

In a case involving allegations of neglect or child abuse, child protective services (CPS) will act quickly to ensure the safety and protection of the child. CPS cases are notoriously confusing and difficult to navigate if you do not know the lay of the land. A CPS removal can separate families for a significant amount […]

Legitimations are typically an action initiated by a biological or putative father.  In Georgia, signing a birth certificate in and of itself does not establish any legal rights of the father. In truth, signing a birth certificate only grants you the obligation to support the child. In order to establish status of a legal father, […]

Termination of parental rights can be either voluntary or involuntary and ends the legal parent-child relationship. It is a permanent order that completely severs the legal parent-child relationship when the court finds one or both parents to be unfit, or when one or both parents consent to giving up their parental rights voluntarily.   The […]

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on grandparents’ visitation rights in the Troxel v. Granville case. Before this case, a judge could grant visitation rights to anyone, even over the objection of the parents, so long as the visits were considered in the best interest of the child. This ruling has severely […]

Sometimes life comes at you fast and unexpected circumstances beyond your control can lead to a parent seeking an upward or downward modification of child support. In an action to modify a child support order, either upward or downward, a parent must prove that there has been a substantial change in either parent’s income and financial status, […]

An existing Court Order may be modified if there are any substantial or material changes in the circumstances of either parent, the child(ren) or your finances. Typically, one parent can seek a modification every two years. If it is much less than two years, the petition to modify will be subjected to a higher level […]

In the state of Georgia, there is no presumption in favor of one parent with respect to custody. There are two types of custody for the Court’s consideration; legal and physical.  Both types of custody could designated solely to one parent or it could be shared.  Legal custody addresses each parent’s authority to make decisions […]

Similar to a pre-nup, a couple can agree to the division of property, alimony, etc. in a post-nuptial agreement. Post-nuptial agreements are simply agreements that are executed after the marriage. Any agreement executed after a divorce has been filed is referred to as a reconciliation agreement. You can mediate to stay married and renegotiate any [...]

Premarital or prenuptial agreements (sometimes called “prenups”) have a bad reputation and can lead to messy disputes. We remove the negative connotation from prenups. A carefully crafted prenup can actually benefit both spouses. Prenups merely allow you to plan ahead and make the necessary provisions that can potentially prevent an adversarial divorce should feelings change […]

The concept of an uncontested divorce does exist. It is always prudent for parties who have mutually agreed to transition out of the marriage to seek counsel to prepare and file the paperwork on their behalf. Our office can guide you throughout the entire process to ensure that you understand the implications of division of […]

What sets us apart from other attorneys is that we excel at providing the highest level of service to assist on any complicated or high asset divorce. We know that complex divorce cases involving a large amount of property require uniquely aggressive and diligent representation to make sure that every detail is covered and your interests […]

A divorce is a significant change to your family dynamic. In addition to dealing with the emotional impact divorce has on you and your children, there may be a number of complex legal issues to be addressed. Unfortunately, the longer the legal issues go unresolved, the higher the emotional and financial cost of the divorce. […]