Best Child Custody Lawyers in Atlanta, GA

The first thing you should do is schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced family law attorney and bring as many financial records to that initial meeting as you are able to obtain. This helps your attorney understand the assets, debts, and income of the marriage.

Financial records which show the household income, assets, and debts of the marriage are all helpful. This includes tax returns, closing settlement statements for the purchase of real estate, recent loan applications submitted to any financial institution, bank and brokerage account statements, current retirement account statements (401K, IRA, Defined Benefit Plan, Pension and Profit Sharing, Deferred Compensation), records showing stock options and stock grants (if applicable), and a spreadsheet of the average monthly household expenses.

A Complaint for Divorce is filed in your county of residence. You must have been a resident of the State of Georgia for at least six months preceding the filing. Once the divorce complaint has been filed and served on your spouse, discovery begins to determine debts, assets, income, and needs of the parties. If custody is contested, the Court may appoint a Guardian ad Litem for the children and/or order a full custodial evaluation.

The cost of the divorce is dependent upon the issues to be developed and the willingness of the parties to compromise and resolve those issues. Hourly billing rates range from $140 for paralegal time to $450 for attorney time. Retainers can range from $2,500 to $25,000 or more depending upon the case. The hours spent on your case each month are billed against the retainer, and a billing statement is sent so that you know the balance held in escrow and what has been charged for all expenses and services incurred by the law firm on your behalf that month. If money remains in escrow after the case is resolved on a final basis, it is refunded to the client. The client is responsible for expenses such as court costs and fees, depositions, private investigation, and employment of experts in their case.

Alimony is support paid to one spouse. It is based upon the income of the paying spouse and the needs of the dependent spouse. There is no formula for determining the amount or duration. There are statutory considerations, such as the duration of the marriage, the age and health of each party, the financial resources of each party, the separate estate of the parties, and the employability of each of the parties. Alimony is typically paid periodically on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, and is taxable to the recipient and deductible by the payor spouse. However, alimony can be paid in a lump sum in the form of cash or property.