Shalamar J. Parham Law Blog

No, if your spouse’s adultery is the cause of the breakup of your marriage then you have a viable defense to paying your cheating spouse alimony.  Read More

Not a surprise for most people, but divorce can be an emotionally and financially draining process.  With a little bit of planning, you can help to minimize the loss of your assets and protect your financial future.1.  Fully Disclose Your Assets and Financial Picture to Your Attorney.  Your attorney is your legal advocate and needs to know your whole financial picture in order to advocate for your equitable share of you and... Read More

Yes. In Georgia, the courts take into account both
parents' income when calculating the final child support amount.  If you have no job then the courts will
"impute" minimum wage to you.  In
other words, the courts will determine your child support amount as if you were
working a full-time minimum wage job. 

In some circumstances, there are exceptions to the rule
and the... Read More

The answer to this question depends on you and your spouse’s ability to reach an agreement as to how to handle the dissolution of your marriage.  If you and your spouse are able to reach an agreement regarding how to divide your assets and debts, child custody, child support and alimony, and whatever issues may be important to you and your spouse then you may be divorced and start your new life in as little as 31 days after filing your divorce... Read More

It is public policy that both parents financially support their children.  In line with public policy, Georgia courts take into consideration income and necessary child rearing expenses of both parents when calculating the final child support amount owed to the children.  Below are examples of items the court takes into consideration when... Read More

It Depends.  Generally the proper court to file your
divorce is the court located in the county that your spouse lives.  So if your spouse lives out of state then that
state is the proper place to file your petition for divorce. 

An exception to the rule does
exist.  If you have lived in Georgia for
more than six months and your spouse consents to the filing of your divorce in
Georgia... Read More

No.  If your ex
was awarded primary physical custody in your divorce or legitimation action you
may have concerns of your ex moving your children out of the state.  In most custody orders, each parent must
notify the other when they intend to move out of state.  If this happens in your situation, you have
the right to petition the Court for a change of custody and to grant you
primary physical custody.  In other
... Read More

Dealing with a failed marriage is not easy.  It is an emotionally and financially draining
process.  When dealing with divorce, it
is important to check your emotions when dealing with the legal aspects of the
dissolution of your marriage so that you do not do harm to yourself.

Georgia is not a community property state.  What this means for you is that assets are
not divided 50/50 but... Read More

Divorce is an emotional process.  It is human nature to act out of character
when dealing with loss, i.e. loss or end of your marriage.  However, there are some acts you should avoid
to prevent hurting yourself at the end of your divorce process. 

1.  Don't withhold information from your divorce
attorney / Don't lie to your divorce attorney. 
The facts are the... Read More

A divorce by publication is appropriate when you cannot
locate your spouse after a diligent search. 
According to Georgia law, your spouse must receive notice that you have
filed for a divorce or else you cannot obtain a divorce.  The law recognizes that there are some
situations where married couples separate and lose contact with each other
before formalizing their divorce.  

Read More