Divorce in Harris County, GA

All divorce cases in Harris County, GA must go through some kind of court proceeding. Even if the parties agree about how to divide their property and handle custody, visitation, and support issues, a judge will still have to award the divorce. In many states, divorce cases, contested and no-fault are handled by a special court generally known as “family court,” “domestic relations court,” or “divorce court.” These courts usually deal with only family-related lawsuits like divorce, child custody and support, and even, adoption. Divorce in Harris County, GA is stressful for all concerned parties. When there are children from the marriage, the stakes are higher. Divorce in Harris County, GA has tax implications. If you receive spousal support, you have to report it as taxable income. If you are paying spousal support, you can deduct it. If you get spousal support, you must plan for the potential tax consequences of the income. Unlike an employer, your earlier spouse won’t withhold any taxes from your support payment. You should deduct spousal support payments on your income tax return, but not child support or property distributions. You can, however, make spousal support payments nontaxable and nondeductible as long as it goes both ways and you both agree by stating as much in the marital settlement agreement. You should consider doing this if the spouse receiving support is in a higher tax bracket than the giving spouse or if the giving spouse doesn’t need the tax deduction and the receiving spouse doesn’t want to report the income.

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.

Athens, Georgia unmarried child custody lawyer

How to get child custody in Athens, Georgia is an issue that will require whole hearted effort from your side and there is really nothing you can leave to chance. You should leave no stones unturned, because a small mistake can result in your child being taken away from you. A detailed understanding of the child custody laws and the related child custody issues is important. First and foremost, you must contact a qualified and experienced Athens, Georgia unmarried child custody lawyer. Explain all matters to your lawyer. Reveal everything to your Athens, Georgia unmarried child custody lawyer. There is still a heavy bias that favors mothers over fathers, especially with smaller kids. The unmarried father in Athens, Georgia usually at best can only take the necessary action to gain unmarried child custody and visitation rights through the courts unless the mother is cooperative and agreeable out of court. The time and money involved for an unmarried father to gain access to his child and to establish a parenting plan can generally be extensive. Regardless, unmarried fathers must not be discouraged as more and more fathers with the help of an experienced and seasoned Athens, Georgia unmarried child custody lawyer are petitioning the court for access to their children are being awarded joint custody with parenting plans that include the child living or spending a substantial amount of time with their father.

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.

Grounds for a divorce in Athens, Georgia

Cruel treatment, to be the grounds for awarding a divorce in Athens, Georgia, should consist of the willful infliction of pain, bodily or mental, upon the complaining party, such as reasonably justifies threat of danger to life, limb, or health. Athens, Georgia divorce courts will consider repeated acts of violence as a basis for divorce however a single act of violence will not constitute cruel treatment except when the act is of such an atrocious nature that the circumstances indicate the chances of repetition. While mental cruelty can also constitute grounds for a divorce in Athens, Georgia, not all mental cruelty is ground for divorce. Contact an experienced divorce lawyer if you are seeking divorce on the grounds of cruel treatment. Permanent and incurable insanity is a ground for divorce in Athens, Georgia. For insanity to be considered permanently incurable, the spouse should have been confined in a mental institution, hospital, or other institution for at least three years, and at least two doctors who are experts in psychiatry must testify that the insanity is permanently incurable. You may sometimes get a default divorce. The judge will grant a divorce by “default” if you file for divorce and your spouse doesn’t respond to the petition despite proper service. In a default divorce, the divorce is awarded even though your spouse doesn’t take part in the court proceedings at all.

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.

Athens, Georgia divorce lawyer

Marital property will be distributed equitably not necessarily equally between the parties regardless of how the title to the property is held. There is no set formula or percentage amount used to divide marital property. Assets or debts that either spouse had before your marriage, or acquired after the permanent separation, will be considered separate property or debts. Generally, each party will keep their separate assets and be responsible for their individual debts. If both parties can agree on how to divide marital property, the judge will simply approve the agreement. If the spouses don’t agree, the judge will distribute the assets. An experienced Athens, Georgia divorce lawyer can help you in the distribution of assets and liabilities in a divorce. An absolute divorce refers to a judicial termination of a marriage on grounds of marital misconduct or other statutory cause arising after the marriage ceremony. As a consequence of an absolute divorce both parties' status becomes single again. Usually, a limited divorce in Athens, Georgia is commonly known as a separation decree. The right to cohabitation is ended however the marriage is not dissolved and the status of the parties is not changed. Athens, Georgia divorce lawyers are experts in the field of divorce law and ready to take on any case in Athens, Georgia. Divorce is a complicated and sometimes messy process to take on alone. An experienced and seasoned Athens, Georgia lawyer can help you in all aspects of divorce and divorce law and can assist you by:
• Filing any and all litigation concerning divorce
• Research any changes to marriage law
• Register all assets to be divided

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.

Athens, Georgia child support lawyer

The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) helps children by enforcing parental duties to pay financial support. All Georgia families have access to OCSS services, like help in finding non-custodial parents, establishing paternity, establishing and enforcing child support and medical support orders, and collecting and distributing payments. The Courts in Athens, Georgia cannot direct parents to pay for college. However, parents may agree to pay child support beyond the age of 18 or to pay for college expenses. Seek the help of an experienced Athens, Georgia child support lawyer. Some states charge interest on past due child support obligations. Interest can be charged to unpaid support at the rate set by state statute. In the such states, judgment interest usually is determined in child support matters in the same way it is in other civil judgments. States that charge interest generally begin its accrual on the day the relevant child support payment becomes due and unpaid. A state's decision to award interest rests on important public policy considerations. Many states consider that the award of interest compels obligors to pay their child support payments on time. Interest also gives the child a measure of compensation for the loss caused because of the tardiness of the child support payments. To know if you are eligible for interest on past due child support in Athens, Georgia, contact a Athens, Georgia child support lawyer.

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.

Athens, Georgia Child Custody lawyer

There are different ways to work out a child custody arrangement. The spouses need not always have to let the judge determine the schedule. Rotating custody, although not common, works perfectly if the parties live within five to ten miles of one another. With rotating custody, one parent keeps the child for a fixed period of time, and the other spouse keeps the child for the same amount of time. Supervised visitation may be ordered by the court if the court feels that the secondary parent may be a danger to the child. The court may also direct supervised visitation if it has reason to believe that one spouse (the spouse getting supervised visitation) may move out of the state or the country with the minor child without the consent of the other parent. The court may award the custody of a child to a third-party when the third-party has sought custody. The third-party is generally the grandparent or other close relative. If a marriage has numerous children, a court has the authority to separate the children and split the custody between parents according to the best interest of each particular child. Ordinarily, however, the best interests of a child will be to stay with that child's siblings, in part for emotional support reasons. While determining the home in which to place the child, the court works hard to reach a decision in "the best interests of the child." A decision in "the best interests of the child" needs considering the desires of the child's parents, the wishes of the child, and the child's relationship with each of the parents, siblings, other persons who may significantly impact the child's best interests, the child's comfort in his home, school, and community, and the mental and physical health of the involved individuals. An experienced Athens, Georgia child custody lawyer can assist you get child custody in a divorce.

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.

Athens, Georgia spousal support lawyer

If spousal support is ordered due to an injury to the recipient party, the spousal support can be temporary or permanent in nature. Even though spousal support is usually awarded to the wife, the husband can also petition the court for spousal support if his wife earns significantly more than him. A seasoned Athens, Georgia spousal support lawyer will make sure that you are awarded adequate spousal support. Spousal support can be in cash payments or other forms. It may be in the form of disbursements from a retirement account, a transfer of an entire retirement account, transfer of the marital home or some other property or any other form of payment either agreed upon between the spouses or ordered by the court. Spousal support can take many different forms, like a lump sum payment to lifetime payments or payments for a short period of time. When the court considers the facts at hand, it will determine the type of alimony. Spousal support is also referred to as alimony. Alimony is ordered by the judge and is dependent on numerous different factors, like the standard of living, if the recipient needs the spousal support payments, if the payor can afford to pay the spousal support, and other things. All states have different tests for ordering spousal support. Some states are “no fault” states, and will not award spousal support because of an injury to one spouse is caused by the other.

---------------------------------Athens GA Divorce Lawyer - Athens GA Uncontested Divorce - Contested Divorce AttorneyOur family law firm handles cases in Athens, Georgia. Our Georgia divorce lawyers represent clients in Athens and the Athens-Clarke County area.