Penny Wise and Pound Foolish: 4 Expenses You Should Not Spare in Divorce
Getting a divorce is expensive. It has a profound financial impact on your life; instead of one house payment, your family now has two. If you and your spouse don’t agree on how to divide the marital property, then you’re looking at a contested divorce. In a contested divorce, it’s critical to prepare your case for […]
What is Contempt of Court, and Should You Be Worried?
One of the scariest family law documents to receive is one asking that the recipient be found in “contempt of court.” These documents are titled a variety of different ways (petition for contempt, motion for contempt, citation for contempt, motion for attachment of contempt, etc.), but they all carry the distinctive tone of being in […]
Why No-Fault Divorce is an Important Option
This poor woman has been getting lots of internet snickers over her recent divorce petition. Apparently, in Nigeria, women are not entitled to get a divorce from their spouses simply because they want a divorce. A party seeking a spouse is forced to go into court and prove a good reason for getting out of […]
Let’s Talk About Gay Marriage
Georgia is a conservative state; I get it. There is very little conservative Georgians love more than telling other people how they “ought” to live. It’s fun to have a lot of good advice for sharing. Giving advice is what I do for a living. Outside of the immediate Atlanta area, Georgians are largely opposed […]
What Happens in Georgia, Stays in Georgia
The question of jurisdiction (whether a court has authority to decide a particular action) is always an issue in divorce, contempt, and modification cases. The general rule is that a defendant has the right to be sued in the county where that defendant resides. A Fulton County father who wants to sue his Cobb County ex-wife […]
Red Flags in Divorce Cases
1. Separating Mobile Phone Bills: This happens all the time, but why? Why would a spouse suddenly decide she needed to have her own mobile phone plan? Why would he coincidentally get a new phone “just for work?” While not always significant, changing one spouse’s access to information about the other’s personal phone is a […]
When DFCS Calls
As a family lawyer, I dread for my clients the Department of Family and Children Services and its involvement in my clients’ lives. Few things can strike more fear in a parent than a call from DFCS, especially wherein the assigned caseworker will refuse to provide any information and say nothing more than, “We want […]
Family Estate Planning
Every time I close a case in my office, I always advise my client to review his/her will and estate planning documents. Major family events like divorce, remarriage, and birth/adoption of children can impact the ways in which property is handled upon death. Further, it is critically important for parents of minor children to think […]
Doing What I Love … And Loving What I Do
One of my great professional passions is helping fathers obtain and exercise their custody rights. I believe that the influence of a loving and involved father is an invaluable benefit to children and the mothers of those children. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to represent a wonderful dad and help him obtain […]
Use ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Defending Your Private Property Rights
Suppose your neighbor builds a privacy fence just about a foot over your property line. You don’t really mind because it’s less for you to mow, and it’s not worth having a disagreement with a good neighbor. You decide not to say anything. You have now started the process of giving away your private property. […]