Johns Creek Divorce Lawyer
Our Johns Creek Divorce Lawyers
With so many options out there, how are you supposed to select the best Johns Creek divorce lawyer for you case? It's best to first evaluate the firm's experience level with divorce and family cases. Are divorce and family law issues their focus or do they practice in other areas as well? Next, you should consider that firm's location. If you live together with your spouse, the divorce will likely be filed in the county that you two live in. If you live separately, you will file your divorce in the county that your spouse lives in. If your spouse lives in Johns Creek, your case will likely be filed in Fulton County Superior Court. However, Johns Creek is located near where Fulton, Gwinnett and Forsyth intersect. Be sure to be aware of which county is relevant for your case. Further, be aware that you will have to resolve four issues to get your divorce finalize. Those issues are child custody, child support, alimony, and asset/property division (equitable division). If you do not have children, you will only need to resolve the areas of alimony and asset/property division.
Seeking out a divorce law firm near you isn't just for convenience, it means that the law firm probably has experience dealing with divorce and family law cases in the county where you will file your case. Experience and familiarity in dealing with local judges and opposing counsel can often be advantageous. Meriwether & Tharp's Johns Creek office is fully staffed and has been helping divorce and family law clients through difficult times throughout Fulton and Gwinnett for over 20 years.
Johns Creek Child Custody Lawyers
If you are considering divorce and you have minor children, then child custody will likely be a core issue in your divorce. While many people resolve their divorces through settlement (informal or formal mediation), child custody is the one area where things are likely to get contested. In situations like this where emotions run high, mistakes are likely to be made. Hiring one of our experienced Johns Creek child custody lawyers increases your chances significantly of a positive outcome. At a basic level, for child custody you will need to determine physical custody (who has the children physically and how often) and you will need to determine who gets legal decision making in a few critical areas (school, medical, extracurricular and religion). You can either agree with your spouse how physical and legal custody will be resolved or you can go to court have a judge decide.
Johns Creek Child Support Lawyers
Similarly to child custody, if you are considering divorce and you have minor children, child support will become a key issue. Child support amounts are generally set by the State of Georgia based on the number of children you have and the parents' combined monthly incomes. The State uses an online child support calculator the determine the monthly child support obligation. While child support can seem procedure heavy and technical, our Johns Creek child support lawyers are intimately familiar with the ins and outs of child support. Our child support lawyers know how to vary the amount of child upward or downward (depending on the circumstances). You don't have to do this alone.
Johns Creek Alimony & Equitable Division Lawyers
Whether you have minor children or not, you will likely have to think about and consider how you want to resolve the issues of alimony and asset/property division. Not everyone is entitled to alimony. While alimony can be a very complex subject, at a basic level, it boils down to "need vs. the ability to pay." If you can't demonstrate a "need" for alimony it will be much more difficult to argue for alimony. Similarly, if you can show that you don't have the "ability to pay," alimony might not be warranted. One of our experienced Johns Creek alimony lawyers will be able to help you go through a need vs. ability to pay analysis.
Equitable division is the legal term for the division of marital property and debts. Georgia is not a 50/50 state, meaning you will not automatically get half of everything. Only marital property is subject to division. You will need to determine what property is martial and what property is separate (not subject to division in a divorce). Our Johns Creek equitable division lawyers will help you determine what is marital property and help you protect your separate property from the divorce.
Johns Creek Divorce Lawyer and Family Law Practice Areas
Like many things in life, the first step is educating yourself. Knowledge is power. Knowing what to expect in a divorce can definitely take a lot of the anxiety away. Feel free to browse the topics below to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to succeed in your case.
Additional Johns Creek Divorce Resources
Understand the Typical Divorce Process
Divorce Hurts, but It Doesn't Have to be Nasty
How are you supposed to select the best divorce lawyer for you when divorce lawyers tend to say the same things?
Is it possible the traditional method could actually be making things worse?