Testimonials

“Martha Hall represented me in my divorce and exceeded all my expectations. She was fearless, compassionate, and perseverant to the end. Thank you, Martha and Vonnie, for everything!”

STACEY R.

“We were referred to Mike Hall by a friend who told us that if they had used him in the beginning, they would have had a lot better result. Using Mike ourselves, we have had the same experience. Mike is very personable and gave us some very wise council.”

LYNN & PAM K.

“Ms. Navarro handle the legitimatization of my grandson for my son. Her expertise and persistent work made this holiday the very best for our family. After 8 months without our baby she has united us forever. I will forever be grateful for the hard work she put into my son’s case.”

SHARON W.

“Hall & Navarro set my mind at ease while handling my case. My fears of losing everything that I worked so hard for ended after the first visit. I recommend that you speak with Paige; she was very knowledgeable about our options and she made sure that we understood them.”

CYNTHIA L.

 

“Martha Hall and her team are the best in the business. I hired Martha to take on a very complicated custody case. I was impressed with Martha from day one of our consult.”

AMELIA J.
Georgia Lawyers / Georgia Divorce Lawyers

Georgia Divorce Lawyers

With Family Law Offices in Statesboro, Swainsboro and Springfield

Divorce is difficult. There is no denying that. It has the potential to be very financially and emotionally draining. But it can be made easier with the help of the right Georgia divorce lawyers by your side. What might be a costly and messy process could actually be smooth and efficient. Call us today to get started. We are here to support you through this tough time.

Call or Text (912) 764-6757

Georgia Divorce Lawyers

With Family Law Offices in Statesboro, Swainsboro and Springfield

Divorce is difficult. There is no denying that. It has the potential to be very financially and emotionally draining. But it can be made easier with the help of the right Georgia divorce lawyers by your side. What might be a costly and messy process could actually be smooth and efficient. Call us today to get started. We are here to support you through this tough time.

CALL US

Georgia Divorce Lawyers

With Family Law Offices in Statesboro, Swainsboro and Springfield

Divorce is difficult. There is no denying that. It has the potential to be very financially and emotionally draining. But it can be made easier with the help of the right Georgia divorce lawyers by your side. What might be a costly and messy process could actually be smooth and efficient. Call us today to get started. We are here to support you through this tough time.

Call or Text (912) 764-6757

Testimonials

“You helped me restore my faith in so much that looked bleak and decrepit. Along this bumpy road, my lovely daughter is safe, and home, and starting to find peace again…Thank you. All the pieces unfolded and fell into place through a progression only the Lord could have planned. But the people who fulfilled his plan did it through greatness and kindness and strength. In my opinion you and Martha have done Gods work and the Judge came through! I am indebted to you both. Please understand, I can be a force and support as well. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. I still have a long way to go…so I hope that statement is true. My commitment to be there for you is equally strong. It will be a tough journey. I Pray. You guys are amazing. Thank you for everything.”

BONNIE GRINGER

“We were referred to Mike Hall by a friend who told us that if they had used him in the beginning, they would have had a lot better result. Using Mike ourselves, we have had the same experience. Mike is very personable and gave us some very wise council. We could tell he was trying to help us. We have used him for several issues that have come up, and he has always handled them in a professional and timely manner. He is quick to answer emails or phone calls, and takes his time answering all of your questions. We are very pleased with his services and would highly recommend him to anyone who has a legal problem.”

LYNN & PAM KELLEY

“After a two and a half year battle, my son and I got the justice we longed for. The only quality that I didn’t like about Paige was that she was patient. Which, is a very good quality to have. However, hindsight being 20/20, I’m glad she was so patient. Paige and Ashley (her paralegal) were always in communication with me, and responded in a timely and appropriate manner. When opposing counsel started her antics and attempted to berate and take Paige’s eye off the prize, she didn’t allow it. I sincerely appreciate all they did for me and my son. I know my circumstances were extreme, but Paige looked out for the two of us. I highly recommend the law group, and will always be indebted to them.”

DUSTIN SHAW

“This review is in regards to how attorney Martha Hall handled my cases. Before Martha Hall, I was taken advantage of in family court in Jefferson County and Effingham County with sub par attorneys that resulted in rulings that were unfair to me and created headaches and financial difficulties. I experienced three attorneys before Martha Hall. I never felt that I had equal representation in the courthouse, until I discovered Martha Hall. Since I have hired Martha Hall, I have had equal or better representation and my cases have closed with fair rulings. This is solely a result of having Martha Hall as my attorney. I will not change thus moving forward if I need any legal services. She is worth every penny.”

KEN GIBSON

“I just have to say the professionalism and conduct of the Hall and Hall attorneys was fantastic from the time we walked in the door. We met Sarah then Mrs. Martha Hall. They were all very attentive and compassionate. Kara, our paralegal, was always there for us. She was always there via email or phone contact. We had a very sensitive legal case and Mrs. Martha Hall walked us through it with compassion and professionalism. I cannot say enough good things about this group or thank them enough for doing what needed to be done.”

MYA AND DEAN CAPE

Testimonials

“Martha Hall represented me in my divorce and exceeded all my expectations. She was fearless, compassionate, and perseverant to the end. Thank you, Martha and Vonnie, for everything!”

STACEY R.

“We were referred to Mike Hall by a friend who told us that if they had used him in the beginning, they would have had a lot better result. Using Mike ourselves, we have had the same experience. Mike is very personable and gave us some very wise council.”

LYNN & PAM K.

“Ms. Navarro handle the legitimatization of my grandson for my son. Her expertise and persistent work made this holiday the very best for our family. After 8 months without our baby she has united us forever. I will forever be grateful for the hard work she put into my son’s case.”

SHARON W.

“Hall & Navarro set my mind at ease while handling my case. My fears of losing everything that I worked so hard for ended after the first visit. I recommend that you speak with Paige; she was very knowledgeable about our options and she made sure that we understood them.”

CYNTHIA L.

 

“Martha Hall and her team are the best in the business. I hired Martha to take on a very complicated custody case. I was impressed with Martha from day one of our consult.”

AMELIA J.

7 Mistakes to Avoid Making During Divorce

Download our FREE guide today and learn what not to do when going through the divorce process.

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Tips on Preparing for Divorce

You likely already anticipate a lot of work here. It doesn’t have to be a lot of work with the right lawyer by your side, but be ready to provide some basic information for the process to go smoothly. They will need to know about your finances, some personal information, and things like insurance. Be sure while you’re collecting all of this sensitive information that you protect your privacy especially if you and your spouse have access to the same computer and files. We would never anticipate a problem with this but it is not impossible that they would cause issues if they discovered you were preparing for divorce.

You should consider having your own bank account that is not shared with your spouse. You can deposit your money into this bank account so that you are prepared to support yourself financially without the help of your spouse. When you do this, do NOT transfer any of your spouse’s funds into your personal account. That is a mess waiting to happen.

Having a journal at this time would be a good idea. It can turn into evidence when you need it to be. It also is good to note what is happening throughout your divorce for your own record. This is a significant life event.

Make sure you have researched Georgia divorce lawyers and pick the one who is going to be able to support you through this difficult time. Be sure you’re prepared for what is to come. That might mean getting a good job to support yourself, as well as getting your own vehicle and a place to live.

Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make During Divorce

Here is some advice to help you get through this process with less stress and tension:

1.     Don’t do things out of revenge or anger. You experience a lot of emotions during a divorce. That’s very normal. You don’t want this divorce to be impacted by your negative emotions, however. Don’t act out against your spouse or try to do things to spite them;

2.     Don’t try to represent yourself. While you may feel you’re going to be just fine without a lawyer, you never know when you might get hit with something you don’t necessarily know how to deal with on your own.

3.     Don’t settle for whatever your spouse wants. Be sure to speak up about what you desire in this divorce settlement. Make your voice heard respectfully so that this doesn’t end up being one-sided.

4.     Look through everything before you sign it. There could be a simple mistake in the paperwork that wasn’t intended to affect you negatively but ends up doing just that because you didn’t carefully read through what you signed.

5.     Don’t shut out your spouse during this divorce process. You want to be able to keep an open line of communication with them so that you can negotiate between the two of you as much as possible. This will end up saving you both money.

6.     Make sure any agreements you are making with your spouse are in writing. It’s all too common for spouses to make oral agreements and then get very upset when those are not upheld once all is said and done. If you want to make an agreement of any kind, put it on paper.

7.     Don’t be talked out of hiring a lawyer by your spouse. Some couples initially think that they are going to be able to get through this whole process without representation, but you don’t want to do that. Georgia divorce lawyers can help mediate all legal matters you two may end up having.

8.     If you have children, be very cognizant of their involvement in the divorce. Don’t use them as a pawn to get your spouse to do something. Don’t unload any of the burdens onto these children. Remember that it is their parent you are dealing with, and you wouldn’t want your children to hear terrible things about you from the other parent. You could wind up damaging your relationship with your own children.

9.     Don’t let anyone involved take over your divorce. The decisions being made should reflect what you wish them to.

Call Our Georgia Divorce Lawyers Today

If you want to have dedicated and supportive representation during this uncertain time, please contact our Georgia divorce lawyers today. We want to make this process easier on you.

Frequently Asked Divorce Questions

Can divorce mediation save me money

Oftentimes, we ask our clients to attend a mediation and their first question is whether that is going to save them money in their divorce case. In Georgia, I would say, yes, absolutely. Attending a mediation, if it is successful, will save you money because, especially in our local court system, there is a lot of backlog. You could wait three to six months to have a trial date scheduled, whereas we usually could get a mediation day within about 30 days from the day that we request it. You can work mediation around your own schedule. You are not at the whim of the court system and their time constraints. Oftentimes, when we attend mediation and it ends successfully, even if that takes six to eight hours of your time, it is going to be a lot cheaper than going forward with the trail process and having the attorney fees built up over the course of several months. After a mediation is successfully completed, you can alert the trial court that you’ve reached an agreement in your divorce case, and in Georgia, you are allowed to proceed with gathering the final divorce decree so that your case has been ended, you’re officially divorced, and you don’t have to wait that extra time and spend that extra money. I would say that mediation is a very cost efficient and effective way to push forward your case in the most expedited process, but also to save a little bit of money. If you have any questions about the mediation process during your divorce case or whether your case may be eligible for mediation to save you a little bit of money, just call our office and we’ll be more than happy to look at the facts and circumstance of your case and see if that would be appropriate.

I had a client call me with what is not a unique situation and asked me if both he and his wife could share the marital residence during their pending divorce in Georgia. In fact, you can, and it is more and more common just from an economic standpoint that folks going through a divorce remain under the same roof until everything is finalized. The key to the situation is you cannot act as husband and wife while you’re living in the home together, specifically you cannot consummate the marriage. If you do that and your divorce complaint has been filed, it is subject to being dismissed. You can live under the same roof, but you cannot cohabitate, and you cannot hold yourself out as husband and wife. If you have question about this or anything else related to your divorce, I’d love to help you with it. Please don’t hesitate to call me.

I was speaking with a client the other day about whether they would have to actually go to court once we’ve filed their divorce case. In Georgia, our circuit does require that you should go in front of a judge and present your evidence, and if it’s even uncontested, at least one party would have to be in court. Now, if it’s a contested divorce, you can expect for you and your spouse to appear in court probably multiple times. Within the first couple of weeks of filing your divorce case, in Georgia, you can go and ask the court for temporary relieve. Of course, you would want to go to court on that day to tell the judge what you need and what your children need and some of the things that you want for that temporary period of time. While you are waiting for the discovery process, which usually lasts around six months, you’re going to want a court order that tells you how to proceed with your children and your finances. You would want to go to court that first time. You would need to be represented by our office. If we were involved in your case, we would go with you. Then at the end of your case, you also would need to go back to court, either to present your final evidence on your divorce case or to submit any kind of settlement that you’ve reached with your spouse. At minimum, you should expect with our office that you would be present in court twice during the terms of your case. Of course, if there are issues that may arise, you may have multiple hearings. The court would want to see you in person to address any of those issues that come up during your divorce case. If you have any questions or hesitancies about whether you would want to be in court or how to dress or what you should do or say when you’re actually in court in front of a judge, just give us a call. We can look at your facts and tell you whether it would be appropriate to approach a judge sooner rather than later and we can certainly walk with you through that process and make sure that you’re completely comfortable by the time we get to court.

How can I alleviate divorce expenses

I got a call from a client the other day where it was an initial consultation and their biggest concern was the financial aspects of actually filing divorce in Georgia. The important thing, if you wanted to alleviate some divorce expenses, would be to gather a lot of your documents ahead of time and bring these with you to your initial consultation. That can be your pay stubs, your tax returns, bank statements, and anything that would show us the names that your property is in or any rental property you may own. Those documents can really help us save some time at the beginning of your litigation by not having to go through the long discovery process of requesting your bank statements directly from your bank. That can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days to get those documents. The same with your employer, takes them a little bit longer to gather things that maybe you already have in your possession. To save some expenses, my suggestion would always be to gather your documents, bring them to us. Let us determine if there are other things that you may be missing out of that list and if you can help get us the things that we need documentation wise, that would certainly save on discovery expenses and time of our office having to chase things that you could easily have access to. With that being said, it’s never a problem for us to get those documents so we certainly can do that, have the ability to do that, but if your concern is saving on some expenses during your divorce process, that would be my suggestion. If you need any help with what items you may want to bring with you in your consultation, just call us ahead of time. We’ll be happy to supply an email list of things that may be wise for you to bring with you to your first appointment.

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.

 

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. If you have a situation like this or any other situation related to a divorce, I’d love to help you. Please don’t hesitate to call me.

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. If you have any questions about how mediation can help you or whether it would be appropriate for you and your spouse to go do mediation even before filing for divorce, please give our office a call. We’ll help walk you through the steps of how you can achieve a successful mediation.

How is an inheritance treated during a divorce

I have several clients who have called me about their inheritance. They are in the middle of a divorce and they want to know how the inheritance would be treated in the divorce. Inheritance in Georgia is considered separate property, meaning it’s not subject to division in a divorce. It is not marital property. It is separate property, so long as the inheritance is kept separate, and what I mean by that is kept solely in the other spouse’s name. If it’s land, the deed remains solely in the person who inherited the property solely in their name. It can be a little complicated because sometimes things get comingled, but if you have this situation in your divorce or really any other question about a divorce, I’d love to help you with that. Please don’t hesitate to call us.

I have several clients who call because they and the opposing party have worked out everything and basically have an uncontested divorce. An uncontested divorce is when the parties have a full agreement on all the issues related to assets, debts, children, spousal support. They’ve worked it out and have drawn it up on a piece of paper and they just need the attorney to help put everything in the proper form. You can be divorced within 45 days or so if in fact you have an agreement on all of these issues. If you believe that you have an uncontested agreement, I’d love to talk with you about that, explain the ins and outs and the proper paperwork. Please do not hesitate to call me.

 

I had a client call the other day wanting to know specifically how long it takes to get divorced in Georgia. Georgia only has a 31-day waiting period. It’s one of the shortest waiting periods basically in the United States. Most states have either six months or a year that you have to wait to get divorced. In Georgia, it’s only 31 days from the date the complaint is filed and served. If you have everything agreed upon, all of your assets distributed, your separation agreement done, any custody arrangement mapped out and a parenting plan, if all of that is done, 31 days after the filing of the complaint, you can be divorced in Georgia. I’d love to talk with you about your situation if you’re facing a divorce here, we’d be more than happy to help you get your case resolved.

 

The other day I had a call from a client who was in the middle of a divorce and he was asking me what the grounds for divorce in Georgia are. There are basically 13 grounds for divorce. They range from adultery, habitual intoxication, abuse, fraud. The most common ground for divorce in Georgia is irreconcilable differences, which simply means that people are not getting along. Most folks end up filing the divorce on those particular grounds. If you are considering divorce or in the middle of divorce, been served divorce papers, I would love to talk with you about your individual case. I’d love to help you get your case resolved. Please call me.

 

Oftentimes, during a divorce case, our clients will ask us about dividing up their property. In Georgia, for divorce cases, it’s an equitable division of all of your assets and all of your debts. Equitable does not mean equal. It just means fair. The court is going to look at your facts and circumstances to see what a fair distribution of your assets and debts would be. Oftentimes, that could mean a 50-50 equal split of all of your assets and all of your debts. If your facts and circumstances, however, are in a way that it may be more fair for one spouse to have 60% or 70% of the assets or 60% or 70% of the debts based on maybe their incomes, the court is going to look at those facts and circumstances to make sure that the split on both your assets and your debts are going to be fair. Any time you want to reach a settlement in your case, you can always look at either an equal distribution, if that’s what you believe is fair, or an unequal distribution. So long as we can certify to the court that the distribution that we’ve settled on is actually fair and the court will sign off as that being an equitable distribution of your assets and your debts. If you have any questions about how your assets and debts may be divided under this equitable distribution in Georgia, please give our office a call. We can walk you through all of your assets and debts to see what would be appropriate in your case.

 

Oftentimes, we get calls from our current clients wondering how the court goes about distributing their assets and what happens to their assets and all of their debts. In Georgia, in divorce cases, they’re an equitable distribution of property and debts. What happens is the court will want us to itemize all of your assets and all of your debts, track them back to where they came from and who paid for them or how they were transferred into your name. So long as it is marital property and up for distribution, the court is going to walk through the value, any mortgages or debts owed on any pieces of property or vehicles. We’re going to look at the equity and decide equitably and fairly what should the split be on both your assets and your debts. Oftentimes, we’re able to put together an exhibit or basically a chart for the court so that it’s easily looked at to see how much equity you’re dealing with in your assets and we always propose to the judge what we think would be a fair split of those assets. We would, of course, work with our clients to decide what they believe is fair and walk through every asset and every debt individually so that we give the court a full picture of what’s really going on in their financial circumstances. If you have any questions about a specific asset or debt or how that would be divided in a court trial process or what would happen to those assets after a divorce was completed, please give us a call. We’d be more than happy to talk to you about your facts.

What happens to the house in a divorceWhenever we receive a call from a new client, one of their major concerns is that they have a residence and they want to know what’s going to happen to that house after a divorce is completed. It’s a bit of a complicated answer because some people want to remain in their residence and some people don’t. Some people want to get a fresh start.

The first question that we would ask usually during your initial consultation is what you want to happen to that home. Depending on what your answer is, whether you want to stay in the house or whether you want to move somewhere else, we really need to sit down and look at whether you can afford to stay there, whether it would require your spouse’s support to stay there, whether your children are comfortable and want to stay there or not.

Certainly, the location of where you’re going to live is going to matter to the court as to custody. The question that we usually get when it comes to your home is whether your kids are comfortable there. Do they want to stay? Is it in their school district? If you can afford to stay there, that would be our proposal to the judge. Now, if you can’t afford to stay there, that creates an issue for the trial court to decide, how can we pay for this home if you want to stay? Would it be more appropriate for both parties if it’s listed for sale? If that’s the case, should we sell it while we’re in divorce? Should we wait until after the divorce is complete and then put it on the market and then transfer the children out of the home? The judge is really going to want us to walk him through what you want to happen, how it’s going to affect your kids, if you have any, and who’s going to maintain the debt on that property. Based on that and our answers in the trail court, that judge is going to decide whether you’re going to be able to keep your home, maintain the payments on it, or whether it may be best to sell the property and split the proceeds. A lot of times, so long as we tell the court and show the court that it’s reasonable for you to remain in your home, the court is not going to force you out of your residence. Now, if you have any questions about your particular facts and circumstances and whether you can keep your home or how to go about selling your home during your divorce case, please give our office a call. We’ll be more than happy to help.

 

I had a friend of mine call me who was considering a divorce and wanted to know what the first steps were that she needed to take when considering divorce in Georgia. The very first step that you need to take is to contact an attorney to help guide you through the process. Step one would be that consultation with the attorney where you get basically an hour’s worth of advice about what to do with regards to your assets, your debts, and whether or not you’d be eligible for spousal support. If there are children involved, what would your parenting plan look like? What would your custody time look like? How much child support might you receive? You can get all of that information in a consultation with me. The first step after that consultation would be the filing of your complaint for divorce. Every case is different and specific. We provide unique advice for your particular situation. Please call us. We’d love to help you.

 

Clients often call about what to bring to the first consultation for divorce when they come and meet me for the first time. The documents that you need to bring to the consultation are mainly financial documents, tax returns, a month worth of bank records, a listing of your major assets. Not every single piece of furniture but the major assets between you and your spouse and then some idea about what you might have in mind, if you have children, what a parenting plan or a custody arrangement might look like. Basic financial information, like paycheck stubs and tax returns, and then we can work through anything else that I would need after that initial consultation. If you are in the middle of a divorce or considering a divorce, I would love to help you with that. Please don’t hesitate to call us.

 

What will happen to my personal belongings in a divorceI got a call the other day from a client who had some personal belongings they had questions about in their divorce case. In Georgia, your personal property, including pictures, clothes, any items in your home, may still be considered marital property. It’s very important that you take your time to itemize all of your personal belongings, tell us where they came from, track who bought those items, whether they were gifts, and whether you purchased those prior to your marriage. All of those things are important to know as we’re figuring out what should happen with those personal belongings. Ultimately, the court is going to take your list of personal belongings and your spouse’s list of personal belongings and look to see which ones are easy fixes. You keep your clothes. Your spouse keeps their clothes. Those are the easy ones. The not so easy ones may be if you have boats, motors, trailers, jet skis— all of the things that you still want to maintain but that are just items of personal property that you may have received during your marriage.

The court is then going to look at what equity you have in those pieces of personal property. Do you have jet skis that are paid for? Those may be of value to the marital estate and the judge is going to divide those equitably, so whatever is fair, divide those between the parties at any final trial. You can also reach an agreement to split certain pieces of personal property and our courts really do encourage you to do that. In Georgia, if you have an agreement as to who keeps the jet ski and who keeps the RV, well, the court is going to sign off on that so long as it seems to be fair. We would ask that we narrow down during your case, narrow down your personal items to what you may be okay with the other party keeping or what you want to keep in your possession and to the extent you’ve reached an agreement, the trail court is going to sign off on that. If you’re not able to reach an agreement on certain items of property, the court considers that like any other asset and is going to divide that fairly and equitably under Georgia law. If you have any questions about particular items of personal property that we’ve mentioned here or some others that maybe were not mentioned, give our office a call. Make an appointment. We can walk through those items of personal property with you to see how they may be divided in any divorce trial.

 

I had a client call the other day because he is in the middle of a divorce and wanted to know what would happen with his vacation home as a result of going through this divorce. How would it be divided up? The summer home would be an asset of the marriage, if it was purchased during the marriage. It would be assessed to establish a value and the client would be required to buy out the other spouse or pay them the equity and the property. If you don’t reach an agreement and you ask a judge, a judge could order that the vacation home be sold. That is why we generally are advocates of mediation so that the parties can work together to come to a resolution where the assets basically aren’t sold at the direction of a judge who really doesn’t know that much about your personal property. If you’re in the middle of a divorce and you have assets, real estate, and have questions about that, I’d love to help you with that and I would love to talk with you about the possibility of mediation. Please call us.

 

I represent several people who are business owners who are going through a divorce and their first question to me is usually what will happen to their business as a result of a divorce. Am I going to have to remain business partners with my soon to be ex-spouse? What exactly is going to happen to my business? This is a huge concern and what the courts do in Georgia with business is a variety of different things that they do. One, one spouse can buy out the other spouse out of the business so that they are not business partners anymore. The court can value the business and simply market it and sell it. Ideally, what you would want to do if you’re a business owner going through a divorce, you would want to talk with your spouse. Do your very best to reach an agreement as to how that business is either distributed or dissolved or maintained where your spouse agrees to a certain number, a certain amount to be bought out so that the business can continue. You rarely want to leave it up to a judge to direct you as to what’s going to happen to your business that you worked at years and years and years. Ideally, it’s better, if you can, to reach an agreement. This is a very complicated question. If you have a question about being a business owner going through a divorce or any question about divorce, please contact us. We’d love to help you.

Will my spouse be required to pay my legal fees for divorceI had a client call recently about whether or not her soon to be ex-husband was going to be required to pay the legal fees for the cost of the divorce in Georgia. There is no mandatory requirement in our state to have the opposing party pay the legal fees. That is 100% at the discretion of the court. When I file for divorce, I always ask that my client be reimbursed for the legal fees that he or she incurs in pursuing the divorce, but ultimately, that is up to a superior court judge. If you have questions about your divorce, whether it’s attorney fees or anything else, I would love to help you resolve your case. Please don’t hesitate to call me.