Your Gainesville Area Family Lawyers
DIVORCE
A divorce is often a stressful and life altering event. Our divorce lawyers are prepared to minimize the impact as much as possible by helping you navigate the legal complexities of ending a marriage from resolving issues involving child custody, child support, and alimony to equitable division of your property and assets.
ADOPTION
If you are considering adoption, you need an experienced attorney to help you understand Georgia law and advise you on how to begin the adoption process. If you already have an adoption situation identified, we can provide fact specific legal information that will prepare you for your adoption. Our attorneys are experienced in direct placements, agency placements, DFACS adoptions, relative and step parent adoptions and finalizing foreign country adoptions.
LEGITIMATION/PATERNITY
A legal determination of paternity can mean a huge change in the life of a child and the parents. We are dedicated to helping our clients with legal determinations of paternity. We know that paternity or legitimation actions are the way many non-married couples can establish legal rights and responsibilities for their child, like visitation and child support. We understand how important theses things are, and we work hard to make sure that our clients get the best outcomes possible for both them and their child.
CHILD SUPPORT
Child support is usually awarded in connection with a divorce, but not always. Even if you are not married, or if you have custody of a child through other means, such as temporary guardianship or juvenile court, you may be entitled to child support. In addition, following an initial child support award, a material change in circumstances may require a change in the child support arrangements. Many people are not aware that informal agreements between parties are not enforceable in relation to child support. All changes in child support must be approved by a court. Please call one of our experienced attorneys to discuss your options.
CUSTODY
When a change in your schedule or lifestyle takes place, you may need to speak with one of our Gainesville family lawyers about petitioning the court to establish or change your child custody schedule. We can often petition the court for a change if you have changed jobs or work schedules, if one parent is not providing a safe environment for the children, or if one parent decides to move. If there has been a significant change in your job or lifestyle, consult with one of our attorneys so that we can help assure that your children's needs are addressed.
GRANDPARENT/THIRD PARTY CUSTODY CASES
Many people belive grandparents and other relatives have no rights. The reality is that is limited cases, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other close relatives may be able to seek custody, especially if a child is in danger, parents have left the child in the care of a relative, or other extenuating circumstances exist. Third party custody cases involve a different standard than cases between parents and ar difficult to navigate. If you believe you may be entitled to seek custody of your grandchild, please contact us so that we can help you assess your rights.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
If you are in imminent fear of bodily harm or if you have been physically harmed, you need to call the police. But calling the police should never be used as a weapon in a divorce action. It is too serious a charge to be used for anything less than a serious threat to safety. When there is a genuine issue of physical violence, children and all members of the family can be irreparably harmed physically and psychologically. If you are faced with family violence, call for immediate help from the police and then call to meet with one of our lawyers about obtaining a restraining order against the person trying to harm you. If you have been unfairly served with a restraining order or falsely accused of domestic violence, talk to one of our attorneys about the best legal defense against the order. Failing to resolve this matter could affect your access to your home and children, as well as your property settlement.
WILLS AND PROBATE
Planning for the future is imperative in today’s unstable economy. Have a say in what happens to your property after you pass away and protect the one’s you love with a will. A will can also address issues of guardianship if you have minor children and establish trust for the benefit of those minor children. Probating or administering an estate can also be time consuming and complex. If you need help in establishing a will or estate administration, please contact one of our experienced attorneys today.
JUVENILE DEPRIVATION
Almost anyone can allege that a parent or guardian has neglected a child. Mere allegations are not necessarily true. When a noncustodial parent, a school, or even Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS) makes child deprivation allegations, you should consult us. A parent may lose their parental rights if found responsible for these allegations. Child deprivation takes a variety of different forms including physical, emotional or sexual abuse, lack of supervision, unclean living conditions, lack of medical care, inadequate food, and corporal punishment. We represent parents accused of child deprivation, focusing on reuniting them with their children.
MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION
Mediation in Georgia is a process by which an impartial third party helps disputing parties work out a mutually acceptable solution to their disagreement. The mediator meets with both parties and allows each party the opportunity to present their issues. The mediator then assists the parties in working through their issues to find a reasonable settlement for their dispute without invoking the ruling of a court. Increasingly, mediation is required in domestic cases. In addition, mediation can often be done before litigation takes place, saving both parties money and time. Arbitration is new to the family law field. Parties can enlist the assitance of an arbitrator to decide how to resolve a dispute. If you need the assistance of a mediator please contact our office to schedule a mediation with one of our experienced mediators.
NAME CHANGE
While marriage and divorce are the usual motivations for a name change, there are other reasons to do it: adoption, religious grounds, assuming a stage name, reclaiming an old family name, Americanizing a name, or because your parents named you Sunshine. The good news is that as long as you're not trying to hide your identity from creditors or law enforcement, changing your name is a fairly simple procedure
