Family Law

Quick and quiet: Speaker Richardson gets divorced

Posted on February 11, 2008
House Speaker Glenn Richardson and his wife filed for divorce, completed the dissolution of their marriage and got court records of the proceedings sealed ? all in a single afternoon last week. The Richardsons appeared privately on Wednesday before a Paulding County Superior Court judge who was not even assigned to their case...

Valentine's Day gifts now include divorce papers

Posted on February 09, 2008
Most couples celebrate Valentine's Day by giving greeting cards, flowers, candy or the like. But others have found a more unconventional gift to give-divorce papers.Legal Match, a San Francisco-based Internet company that matches clients to attorneys, has coined the term the "Valentine's Effect" in order to describe the surge in requests for divorce attorneys that are made about two weeks prior to Valentine's Day each year...

Nation's Top Divorce Lawyers Note Dramatic Rise in Electronic Evidence

Posted on February 07, 2008
E-mails are Primary Source with Wives Most Likely to Use Them A resounding 88% of the nation's top divorce attorneys say they have seen an increase in the number of cases using electronic data as evidence during the past five years, according to a recent survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML)...

10 Things Not To Do In Your Divorce Case

Posted on February 06, 2008
Divorce is not easy. There are many pitfalls and traps awaiting parties that have not educated themselves about the process. People often make bad decisions under stress, or without the guidance of an experienced lawyer. Don?t be one of them. Divorce law isn?t rocket science, but it isn?t always intuitive...

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10 Tips for Witnesses: Don't Give These Answers!

Posted on February 06, 2008
After recently spending several days in court on various matters involving testimony, I feel like I should share some fairly common statements that should no longer be used in court. I understand that some of these are the way people may talk in a conversation, but they were not uttered in conversations...

Can't Play "Hide the Ball" in a Prenuptial Agreement - Blige v Blige

Posted on February 05, 2008
In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Leah Sears, from an appeal of an order entered in the Superior Court of Bryan County by Judge David Cavender, in Blige v. Blige, S07F1817, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment awarding the wife $160K as her equitable interest in the parties? marital home, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in setting aside the parties? prenuptial agreement, since the evidence supported the trial court?s finding that the husband failed to make a full and fair disclosure of his assets, income and liabilities prior to execution of the agreement...

Parenting Tips for Divorced Parents

Posted on February 04, 2008
The following tips can help divorced parents work better together in matters pertaining to their children: Try to make your dealings with your child?s other parent as pleasant as you can ? even if he or she doesn?t. If your ex knows how to get under your skin and uses this knowledge unfairly, resolve to keep your cool anyway...

Georgia Divorce Definitions

Posted on January 30, 2008
This collection of definitions will help clarify some unique characteristics to the Georgia Divorce laws, process and paperwork which is filed with the court. Filing Party Title:PetitionerThe spouse who will initiate the Divorce by filing the required paperwork with the court...

Georgia Spousal Support/Maintenance/Alimony Factors

Posted on January 30, 2008
In Georgia the support payments (if any) can certainly influence how the marital property distribution is awarded, which is why it can become a very intricate part of the final outcome of any divorce. Keeping this in mind, if you and your spouse are unable to reach and agreement on this issue, the Superior Court will order support from one spouse to the other on a case-by-case basis as follows: Any spouse may be awarded alimony as long as he or she is not guilty of desertion or adultery...

Georgia Property Division Factors

Posted on January 30, 2008
In Georgia, the property and debt issues are typically settled between the parties by a signed Marital Settlement Agreement or the property award is actually order and decreed by the Superior Court within the Decree of Divorce. Georgia is referred to as an "equitable distribution" state...

Georgia Grounds for Divorce

Posted on January 30, 2008
The Petition for Divorce is the initial document filed with the Georgia court. It is in this document that the filing spouse will request the court to terminate the marriage under certain specified grounds. The granting of a divorce shall be according to one of the following grounds: No Fault Based Grounds:(1) The marriage is irretrievably broken...

Georgia Divorce Residency Requirements

Posted on January 30, 2008
In order to file your Petition for Divorce in Georgia, you must make sure the Superior Court has jurisdiction over your case. The most common way spouses are eligible to use a specific court system is by meeting the residency requirements. Meeting the Georgia residency requirements is typically only a concern for a spouse who has recently moved or is planning to move in the near future...

Child Support Payments and Getting a U.S. Passport

Posted on January 29, 2008
Section 51.70 (a) (8) of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations states, in part, that if you are certified to Passport Services by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be in arrears of child support payments in excess of $2,500, you are ineligible to receive a U...

Children's Bill of Rights

Posted on January 28, 2008
I have posted previously the Children's Bill of Rights from the American Academy of Matrimonial Attorneys. This is another good list from DivorceHQ, stated from the child's perspective: We the children of the divorcing parents, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish these Bill Of Rights for all children...

Documentation in Child Custody Cases

Posted on January 23, 2008
How important is documentation in child custody cases? It is extremely important.  According to several child custody experts, one of the best means to prepare for and win a child custody trial is to provide solid documentation that can prove one?s parental capabilities and fitness...

Marriage, Divorce, Taxes and Your Social Security Number

Posted on January 23, 2008
Newlyweds and the recently divorced should make sure that names on their tax returns match those registered with the Social Security Administration (SSA). A mismatch between a name on the tax return and a Social Security number (SSN) could unexpectedly increase a tax bill or reduce the size of any refund...

Collaborative Divorce Case Study Summaries

Posted on January 17, 2008
The following Collaborative Divorce Case Study Summaries are found at the website of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), the standard-bearer for the Collaborative movement with more than 3,000 members in 13 countries: 1...

Lawyer defends his monthly $14K child payments

Posted on January 15, 2008
Renowned trial lawyer Willie Gary had a very personal case before the Georgia Supreme Court Monday. And for a publicity savvy lawyer, it was clear that this was one case he wanted to avoid scrutiny because it dealt with back child support and a legal blunder: "his own...

How to Keep Divorce From Having Long Lasting Effects on Children

Posted on January 14, 2008
Yearly more than 1 million children experience the divorce of their parents. The process and trauma these children experience will normally begin long before there is an actual divorce. It will begin with parental disagreements, anger and continue to worsen throughout the divorce process and can often last for many years after the divorce is final...

Collaborative Law in Georgia: Child Specialists, Coaches and the Development of the Parenting Plan

Posted on January 10, 2008
I am very pleased to present the following article, written by my colleagues in the Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia,  Howard Drutman, Ph.D. & Marsha Schechtman, LCSW of Atlanta North Psychotherapy Center, who have graciously permitted me to reprint their article here: Around the country and indeed the world the Collaborative Divorce process embraces many different  approaches...

TIPS ON REPRESENTING YOURSELF IN COURT

Posted on January 09, 2008
The Court is a very traditional and polite place. When you are representing yourself in Court you are trying to persuade a judge or a jury that you are right. So you must act, dress, and speak in a way that helps you with your case. When you come to Court, dress as professionally as possible...

Divorce Wars Hazardous to Financial Health

Posted on January 09, 2008
In its February 2008 issue, Consumer Reports lists and discusses "12 Money Blunders That Could Cost You $1 Million." Coming in at number 3 is: "Launching a divorce war": 3. Launching a divorce war (CR estimated cost: $49,000 to $188,000) Divorce may be unavoidable sometimes, but spouses can take steps to reduce thefinancial impact...

New Year's Resolutions: 7 Tips for Being a Better...

Posted on January 08, 2008
Since it is the first of the new year, I will join the chorus with some New Year's Resolutions for divorced or separated parents and others. Following these tips should help you behave better, have better discussions and keep the peace. The holidays can be a tough time for families, whether together or divided...

2008 Brings New Child Custody Laws

Posted on December 28, 2007
The New Year will bring several new laws to Georgia including more changes to the state's rules for divorcing parents. The new law streamlines the process for determining child custody because the bill's sponsors said our old laws often trapped kids in traumatic legal battles...

Cell Phone Voice Messages and Custody Disputes

Posted on December 26, 2007
Should you keep a record of those angry cell phone voice messages from your ex?  The now infamous Alec Baldwin voicemail message to his daughter (in which he berates his daughter) illustrates how advances in technology can help introduce evidence into child custody battles...

The 12 Days of Christmas Divorce

Posted on December 26, 2007
On Christmas Eve, James J. Gross, of the Maryland Divorce Legal Crier, had a very appropriate post for the season and I am reproducing it with thanks to him and to Dick Price at the Divorce and Family Law in Tarrant County, Texas Blog, who brought Jim's post to my attention: "The Twelve Days of Christmas Divorce ?On the twelfth day of Christmas,My true love sent to meTwelve demands for relief,Eleven prayers for property,Ten thousand for alimony,Nine hundred for child support,Eight pages of interrogatories,Seven requests for documents,Six requests for admissions,Five thousand for attorneys,Four requests to enjoin,Three pre-trial motions,Two process servers,And a complaint for a final divorce!" I hope everyone has as merry a Christmas and as happy a holiday season as possible as you work through whatever legal issues you face...

Kinder, Gentler Collaborative Divorce Also Costs Less

Posted on December 26, 2007
A kinder, gentler method of getting divorced has won fans among both clients and counsel. But it has yet to win over some traditionalists, who wonder, for instance, why collaborative divorce must include a promise not to litigate. (Those who violate the ban on courtroom battle have to start over again with new counsel...

Your Custody Plan

Posted on December 23, 2007
Being creative doesn?t necessarily mean being complex. Simple plans, with both parents working together for the benefit of their children, work the best. There are two perspectives to keep in mind: yours, as parents, and your children?s. Don?t jam your children?s lives into your schedule if you want to have a successful plan...

Georgia Family Law Blog Ranked in Top 15 Blogs on BlawgSearch Today

Posted on December 21, 2007
Family Law Blawgs (69) Georgia Family Law Blog [feed] Covers family law Issues in Georgia, including divorce, alimony, and child support. By Stephen M. Worrall. Last Updated: December 21, 2007 - Rank Today: 15 http://sworrall.typepad.com/georgia_family_law/ Don't blink because these rankings change fast and often, but I was very honored today, December 21, 2007, to see the Georgia Family Law Blog named as the highest ranking Family Law Blawg today on Justia's BlawgSearch page and the 15th ranked blawg today of all 2247 Blawgs in all 57 categories...

Surviving the Holidays

Posted on December 18, 2007
Getting through the holidays can be a challenge for any family, but it can be especially difficult for a newly-divorced family. In her Divorce Ain?t So Bad After All series, Barbara Scala, Life Transition & Divorce Coach, offers these tips for surviving the holidays: Find Your Holiday Spirit Where is your holiday cheer? Hiding behind anger you?re holding toward your ex? Or is there sadness because you?re not part of a couple or loneliness when your kids are not around? Forget that...

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