DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW BLOG

Divorce is not just a legal process but an emotional journey that can challenge even the strongest individuals. The emotional stages of divorce often include a whirlwind of feelings such as grief, anger, and relief, each demanding its own form of attention and care. Addressing these emotional asp...

Embarking on the adoption journey involves navigating a complex web of legal requirements, which can often be daunting for prospective parents. The Cherry Law Firm plays a pivotal role in demystifying these requirements, ensuring that clients are well-informed and prepared at every step. Our skil...

When considering marriage, it's essential to think beyond the wedding day itself. One critical aspect often overlooked is the prenuptial agreement. At The Cherry Law Firm, we believe that a well-crafted prenuptial agreement can provide peace of mind and clarity for both partners helping ensure a ...

Expanding your family through adoption is a beautiful journey filled with hope, love, and legal intricacies. Navigating through the adoption process can be overwhelming, but with the right guidance and expertise, it can become a smooth and rewarding experience. At The Cherry Law Firm, we understa...

Successful co-parenting after divorce requires a concerted effort to put aside personal differences and prioritize the needs of the children. This blog aims to explore effective strategies that can facilitate a smoother transition into co-parenting after divorce, ensuring that both parents play an active, positive role in their children's lives despite the changes brought about by divorce.

Divorce is a difficult and emotionally charged process, no matter what the circumstances may be. However, when the stakes are high and there are significant financial assets at play, the complexity of the situation increases exponentially. In such cases, it becomes crucial to have a specialized a...

Navigating the complexities of divorce and separation can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to financial matters. Alimony, or spousal support, is an important aspect that often requires careful consideration. Whether you're on the verge of a high asset divorce or simply seeking a famil...

Navigating the turbulent waters of divorce can be overwhelming, but The Cherry Law Firm, divorce attorneys in Marietta, GA, offer a beacon of hope through mediation. Our firm is renowned for its compassionate approach to divorce, providing clients with skilled divorce attorneys and mediators who ...

Adultery is most significant when a cheating spouse is seeking to obtain alimony or attorney's fees. For example, if a stay at home wife, or a wife who has comparatively less income than her husband, has cheated, then she may be barred from receiving alimony or attorney's fees in the divorce. In the classic situation where the husband has cheated, this will be a "conduct" factor in the division of property and an evidentiary issue in the award of alimony. If you have cheated, your spouse can argue the affair justifies a denial of alimony and an award of more than 50% of the marital estate in his or her favor. However, the cheating spouse is still entitled to argue for "equitable division". Unlike in the context of alimony, adultery is not a bar to property division. In the context of awarding permanent alimony, O.C.G.A. section 19-6-5(a)(8) authorizes the consideration of "other relevant factors", but marital misconduct may not be used to set the amount of periodic alimony.

In Georgia, the courts divide decision-making for children into four major categories--education, extracurricular activities, non-emergency healthcare, and religion.  Every Georgia Parenting  Plan must specify one of the parents as the final decision making in each of these four areas.  Absent any major philosophical differences in the medical arena, the primary physician custodian of the children is normally awarded final decision-making for the children.  One exception is when the sex of the primary physical custodian differs from the sex of the child, in which event, judges sometimes award the same-sex parent with final decision-making of the minor child.  The courts presume that a parent with the same sex as the child would be better equipped to understand healthcare decisions for the child than a parent with a different sex.

Cookie cutter divorce lawyers, who cut and paste one agreement onto another, should be avoided at all costs.  If that's all it took to come up with a divorce agreement, any six-year old could do the job. If you want your divorce done right, hire the right lawyer from the start.  A lawyer that ...

Child support in Georgia is controlled by Georgia law.  It is calculated based upon the gross incomes of each parent. Parents often argue over the correct amount of child support, the manner in which in needs to be paid, how long it should last and what it is intended to cover. Child support is for the support of minor children.  Once a child reaches 18 yeas of age and graduates from high school, child support is no longer paid for support of the child. In Georgia, child support is intended to cover the basic necessities (food, clothing and shelter) for the minor child.  In Georgia, a parent cannot be compelled to pay college expenses as part of his/her child support obligation.

If you believe your child is in danger, call the Department of Children and Family Services or the police but don't take matters into your own hands and withhold custody.  What you can do is file an Emergency Motion With The Court for Temporary Custody of your child.  Ultimately, the Court will have to decide whether there is a danger to your child that warrants a change of custody.  That is not a decision you can make unilaterally. Keep in mind that if you do make the decision to unilaterally withhold parenting time from your ex, you risk being sanctioned by the Court or, even worse, losing primary physical custody. It's always been to utilize the procedures the courts have in place for custody changes.  If in doubt, reach out to a lawyer for advice on your specific custody issue.

When you are in desperate need of a lawyer, you may be willing to sign any Fee Agreement sent to you without even looking at it closely. Before you sign, take the time to carefully review any Attorney Fee Agreement before you sign on the dotted line. Be sure to read the fine print before you sign a Fee Agreement in a Georgia divorce or family law case.  If you sign first and ask questions later, you may end up costing yourself unnecessary attorney's fees and the headaches that go along with overpaying for services.

Here are five common misconceptions about divorce that we hear all the time: #1 - It Has to Be Nasty. Divorce doesn't have to be nasty.  Many divorces are uncontested.  Some that are contested are still amicable.  The parties are the ones who control whether the divorce will or wont be nasty.  ...

Most see it coming.  It's years in the making and the final announcement, of the demise of your marriage, is certainly no surprise. The worst thing you can do is play the victim and do nothing at all. Always be ready to advocate for yourself and to give your attorney all of the ammo you have to help prepare your case.

Life is Full of Surprises.  Some good.  Some not. So how can you avoid surprises when getting divorced? Get an uncontested divorce in Georgia.

If you are able to do an uncontested divorce, why not choose the least expensive one you can find? That's easy.  Because not all lawyers are alike and you get what you pay for. If you want a professional with an expertise in drafting uncontested divorce complaints, settlement agreements and all of the related documents needed to get divorced and up want it done right form start to finish, you need to choose a law firm that can deliver on that promise....

How long have you been separated and why does it matter? In Georgia, you have to be separated to be divorced.  Separation means that you are no longer intimate with one another.  This is why every Georgia Divorce Complaint contains a paragraph that says the spouses are legally separated.  

"How Long Will My Divorce Take?" is a question we are asked over and over again. The answer depends upon you .... and your spouse. If you are motivated and you and you spouse agree to everything, you can file for divorce in Georgia 31-days after the Complaint for Divorce and Acknowledgement o...

I believe in magic.  I've seen it with my own two eyes many times at mediation. Mediation of a divorce can be truly magic.  Many people resist mediation and ask as if it is a slow walk to the gas chamber.  It's more like an escape from the gas chamber.  If you ever experienced the trauma of tr...

Remember that annoying laundry list of documents your mortgage lender requested when applying for your last mortgage? Well, guess what?  You will need all of those and more when you file for divorce. The good news is that everything you need is probably available online.  So let's review what ...

You can climb your way out of a bad marriage regardless of how daunting it may seem.   To prepare for your divorce, you may want to tackle one or more of the following tasks. 1. Find a lawyer to represent your best interests.  This is easier said than done.  You should speak to anyone you are...

Divorce is difficult anytime of year but especially so during the holidays.  So what can you do to make it better? Here are ten suggestions for surviving the holidays while your divorce is pending.

Who better to give advice on divorce than a divorce lawyer?  We see and hear it all.  Every day we hear about broken marriages.  We know how marriages fail and we see the scores of couples go down the same path every year. So what advice do we have for preserving your marriage?  Here are ten t...