Are you or a loved one in the process of a divorce and need legal help? Check out these 3 divorce facts, then call our Georgia attorneys now.
Choosing a Divorce Attorney
Oftentimes, I’m approached by family and friends asking, if they wanted to file a divorce, how they should choose an attorney. Oftentimes, I tell them, first, you have to have a very good connection with that person. You would need to either meet them in person or have a video chat with them to make sure that there is a connection and a trust there. The second thing I would do is look up the attorney on Google and see what kind of reviews they get and what kind of past experiences other clients may have had. A lot of times people don’t want to ask their friends and family about who they used for their divorce but that’s really the best opinion that you’re going to get is someone who’s actually been through the divorce process in Georgia and has used an attorney. How they had that experience and whether the attorney was a good fit or not from person to person can vary. My suggestion would be to make an appointment, either in person or video chat, whether that’s me or Martha at our office. We can meet with you for that first hour to make sure that you have a good connection and that we can build trust between the two of us and the client and that’s always the number one thing that you should look for when you’re hiring a divorce attorney in Georgia.
Divorcing Someone Who Doesn’t Live
I had a client call this week about getting a divorce, but his spouse lived in another state and had in fact left the state of Georgia some months before he called me. Because of that reason, he was going to have to file for divorce in the state where his spouse lives. When you sue someone for divorce, you have to sue them where they live as long as you have a specific address in order to serve them. I would not be able to help him with the divorce. He would have to hire an attorney in the state that his spouse moved to.
How Divorce Mediation Works
In Georgia, a lot of folks have heard of the term mediation. When you file a divorce, a lot of clients ask during the initial consultation if mediation is right for them. Almost always in our office, we would say the answer would be, yes, that mediation can be very helpful to you and your case. Really, a mediation is where a neutral party goes between the two divorced parties and they would see what kind of resolution you may reach in your case.
Now, from the beginning, it may seem that a resolution is not going to happen for you, but what I would encourage you to do is to try it out, because you may reach an agreement on things that you had no idea that would be possible. We have very good mediators in our circuit and our judges really encourage everyone to attend mediation and really put their best foot forward to try and reach a resolution where there can be one. Especially when it comes to custody issues, it’s very wise for parents to sit down and see what kind of agreement they can reach on parenting time. You may not reach an agreement as to physical custody, but you may reach an agreement on special things that you’re going to do on the 4th of July or Christmas or other special traditions that you and your spouse have with your kids. A judge isn’t going to take the time to really consider those things in any kind of trial. It would be best in a mediation to take the chance, with your attorney in the room and with the mediator going back and forth between the parties, to really try and reach a resolution that fits your kids and your situation. That really would be beneficial to you in any future trial that you may have to show the judge that you put forth a good effort to try and reach an agreement with the parties. Oftentimes, we find that the people who didn’t think they would reach a resolution actually are the folks that will at the end say they’re so glad that they did that. They reached a settlement. The trial was not necessary. It expedited their divorce process. They were extremely happy with the results after attending mediation in their divorce case.
Are you or a loved one in the process of a divorce in Statesboro, Springfield, or Swainsboro and have questions about our 3 divorce facts? Contact the experienced Georgia divorce attorneys at Hall & Navarro today for a consultation and case evaluation. We can help get your life back on track.
