One of the great myths concerning child custody is that a father’s name on a birth certificate always results in legal rights. In fact, unless the parties are married at the time the child is born or after the child is born, a father’s name on a birth certificate means little other than “This is…
It’s true that mundane adultery does not necessarily affect custody arguments … but sometimes it does. The problem with adultery is that it is dishonest, and this makes the adulterer a liar. The tendency to lie is often not limited to a few instances of bad conduct. One lie often requires ten more to perpetuate…
The “temporary hearing” is unique to family law. A temporary hearing is a court hearing that may take place shortly after a divorce, custody, or child support action is filed and served upon the other party. The purpose of a temporary hearing is to take care of business while the parties litigate to the end…
Call your local state representative! I constantly give my clients this advice. Very often, the result you get in a family law case in court depends not so much on you or your lawyer’s performance but upon THE LAW … the LAW that is written every day by your local state representatives and state senators. …
Clients nearly always ask me if they can recover their attorneys fees in their family law case. My response is almost always a very tentative “maybe.” The short answer is: – Divorce: Sometimes – Custody: Rarely – Child Support: Often In a divorce proceeding, both parties are entitled to a reasonable sum from the marital estate…
Custody decisions are some of the hardest for parents and judges to make. Most of the time, the parents are able to figure out a custody arrangement that works, if not well, at least “good enough.” When parents can’t make the decision, they leave the decision in the hands of a judge. Judges are well-intentioned,…
Georgia recognizes thirteen different grounds for divorce. Some are commonly known and used, and others are at best, obscure, and at worst, obsolete. The grounds for divorce may be divided into approximately three categories: 1) no-fault divorce; 2) grounds stemming from specific “bad” behaviors of the parties; and 3) the condition of the parties when…