Experience

A divorce lawyer who is highly experienced in handling divorce cases can make things a little less stressful while making sure your rights and interests are well protected and that you get a fair judgment. Experience matters a lot and you can figure this out by visiting their official website, as it allows the lawyer to make the best use of his/her knowledge and expertise in a way that benefits you. Divorce attorneys with substantial experience know how the laws work in your jurisdiction and what to expect of the judges in which circumstances.

Specialization

It is important for you to keep in mind that the laws in Georgia allow an Atlanta divorce attorney to handle cases in other fields of law also, such as personal injury claims, real estate, or any other field. But, attorneys who work like jack-of-all-trade are often not very useful. They tend to take every case that comes their way, which indicates that they are more interested in earning money than in helping you get a fair judgment. Therefore, you are strongly recommended to consider only those lawyers who have specialization primarily in the field of divorce law only, check out the post from this local law firm to learn more.

Testimonials

Reviewing the testimonials with a detective from former clients of the lawyer is also an important step when it comes to choosing the best Atlanta divorce attorney. These days, almost every lawyer has an official website, where they also provide clients testimonials. For instance, these family law attorneys representing men in Michigan are experts in making the process of a divorce easy on the men. These testimonials obviously say positive things about the lawyer and it is likely that the information out there is false or manipulated just to show a better picture about the lawyer’s services to the prospective clients. Therefore, you are advised to ask the lawyer to provide a list of clients they have formerly worked for. The idea is to contact those clients either on phone or through personal meeting (if possible) and find out about their experience with the attorney.

Communication

The next thing you have to look out for is whether the attorney is easily accessible, like those from the McKennon Law Group PC. Many lawyers appear during the initial consultation and then they disappear, leaving you to communicate through their assistant only. Therefore, it is important for you to make sure that the Atlanta divorce attorney you are hiring is not only easily accessible but is also quite prompt in responding to your requests for meetings, emails, or phone calls. The previous step where you have to talk with the former clients of the lawyer in question can get you a good idea about it. Still, you should also ask the attorney to provide a written office policy.

Fee

A reputable divorce lawyer must be very clear about the fees he or she will charge. While some attorneys provide the first consultation free, others may charge you for that. The provisions regarding fee may vary from one lawyer to another. For example, you may be charged on an hourly basis or at a fixed rate per consultation. You may even be asked to pay a certain amount of money upfront. You may also like to know how often they send invoices.

Last, but not the least, you must have a god comfort level with the Atlanta divorce attorney you are considering hiring. If you are not confident in the lawyer’s ability or if you are not comfortable working with them, you should keep looking for a credible divorce lawyer.

Get A Complaint Form

The first thing you have to do is to contact the superior court clerk in Atlanta and request for a complaint form for divorce. You can find all types of forms (that are required to be completed in this type of case) from this clerk.

Read The Instructions Thoroughly

Before you start filling out the form, make sure you read the instructions and guidelines provided with the form thoroughly. Even if you have hired an Atlanta divorce attorney to perform the paperwork, it will be better if you know what this form is, what kind of information you need to provide in this form, and how it will affect your case. The business attorneys in Raleigh area suggest the same as well.

Fill Out The Form

While you fill out the different sections of the form, make sure you do not miss any part. Even if a particular section in the form is not applicable in your case, you should not leave it blank; instead, you should write “none” or “N/A” in that section.

Basic Information

The basic information you need to provide in the complaint form includes a request to the court for divorce, general information about your debts and assets, the details of your children from marriage (such as their names and dates of birth), the date of your marriage, the basic details about your spouse (such as his/her name, age, employment, and other such records).

Filing The Petition

Even if you are filing the petition on your own, it is always better to get it thoroughly reviewed by an expert Atlanta divorce attorney in order to make sure that the form has been filled out properly. You can file your petition with the superior court clerk, you could head to Pedrick Law Group for your Estate Planning and any other legal matter.

Responding To A Petition

If your spouse has filed a divorce petition against you, you must respond to the same within a specific time frame. In your response, you will have to fill out a different form that is termed as “praecipe”. You can obtain this form from the same superior court clerk in your county. The family attorneys in San Marcos can help with legal aid.

Motion For Temporary Orders

If you also want to request some temporary court orders regarding certain matters involved with the divorce case, you will have to file motions. Some common matters where a court may issue a temporary order include child support, visitation rights or parenting time, child custody, and others. When you file motions for temporary orders, you will get a specific date and time for court hearing. It is your responsibility to notify your spouse about the hearing; for this, you need to complete some other forms.

If you look at the overall process, you can see how complex things can become if you do not complete the paperwork thoroughly. That is the reason why you may like to hire a divorce attorney.

Adultery Is One Of The 12 Possible Grounds For Fault Divorce

As per the Atlanta laws, there are 12 possible grounds to file a fault divorce; adultery is one of them. The other grounds include habitual drug addiction, incurable mental illness, cruel treatment, habitual drunkenness, conviction of a felony, willful and continued desertion by either of the spouse for a period of twelve months, impotence at the time of marriage, mental incapacitation, and force, duress and fraud.

The Legal Definition Of Adultery

When a person is having an extra-marital affair, it is adultery. The laws however have defined it more specifically – adultery is a situation when a married person has sexual contacts with an individual other than his/her spouse. It can be any type of sexual contact, including sexual intercourse. The expert guidance of divorce lawyers will help you understand the legal proceedings so that you can make an educated decision. Atlanta laws recognize two types of adultery cases – homosexual activity and hetrosexual activity by a married person. Though the traditional definition of adultery is limited to sexual intercourse only, Atlanta laws are much stricter in this regard.

Time Frame

The law do not have any specific provisions regarding the time frame between the commencement of a divorce case and the adulterous activity by a spouse, the court does have the right to review the time frame and decide whether the case should be handled as a fault or no-fault divorce. For example, if your spouse was engaged in adultery a few years back and you are filing the petition for divorce now on that ground, it will be very difficult for you to convince the court that your marriage got affected because of those activities by your partner that he/she did a few years back. You may have the logic that you came to know about your spouse’s adultery only now, but the court is likely to ask you to file your petition with the help of a Skokie divorce lawyer as a no-fault divorce because a significant period of time has already passed without affecting your marriage.