When you’re married, finding out that your spouse has been cheating on you is nothing less than your worst nightmare. Your whole world comes crashing down in a split second and you start to question every moment they chose to spend with you. Was it all a lie?

For some people, getting their marriage back on track after infidelity is almost impossible. When the person you thought you knew breaks your trust in the most unfathomable way, no amount of therapy can allow you to forgive them and see past their mistakes.

When you can’t salvage a broken marriage, divorce seems like the only way out. But if you’ve seen a divorce unfold, you know it can be a messy affair that can take months or years to recover from.

Let’s take a look at some tips that can help you move on after infidelity and divorce.

1.   Stop Blaming Yourself

Sometimes, it feels natural to blame yourself for your partner’s disloyalty. When you’re coping with betrayal and divorce, you can feel guilty for not being there for your spouse when they needed you. Maybe if you had treated them differently, things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.

It can be painful to navigate these complicated emotions, but you should realize that at the end of the day, infidelity can’t be justified. Instead of communicating their needs to you, they chose to betray your trust and there’s nothing you could’ve done to stop them.

Just because you’ve been wronged doesn’t mean you should lose sight of new opportunities to find love again. You deserve happiness and you need to let go of your past to find someone new and rebuild your trust in romantic relationships.

2.   Be Grateful For The Present Moment

Surviving divorce from infidelity can be difficult, especially if you truly believe you’ve lost your soul mate. Instead of living in the past and reminiscing about the old days, you need to try and find the good in the present moment.

You need to be patient with yourself during the healing process because you can’t find the light at the end of the tunnel overnight. You have to actively look for it. Practice mindfulness and be grateful for the little things, like having a roof over your head or people who’ve stuck by your side during this tough time.

3.   Seek Therapy

When you don’t have the support of loved ones to fall back on or the pain you’re feeling seems insurmountable, you must seek the help of a therapist. Your therapist is someone you can confide in judgment.

This is where you can start your journey towards healing, let go of the things that are troubling you, and understand your feelings before you can move on from them.

Bottom Line

You can’t erase or rewrite the past but you can control how your life turns out after heartbreak. You shouldn’t let one person’s misdoings affect your judgment about new people that may come into your life. Instead of replaying painful memories in your head, you need to invest in yourself and allow yourself to find peace.

Here, at Atlanta Family Law Group LLC, we pride ourselves on keeping the needs of all our clients as a priority. Get in touch with us at 404-738-5805 to schedule an appointment and let us take care of the legalities so you can move forward with your life.

It’s not always possible to part on friendly terms with your spouse. The whole process can affect both of you emotionally. Financial loss can also cause a lot of stress to both parties and you can expect your spouse to hold grudges against you for this and many other reasons.

Your spouse can also get extremely vindictive and may want to take their anger out on you. They can leave threatening messages and voicemails on your phone or even try to hurt you physically. Luckily, in such cases, you can turn to the law for help. There is absolutely no need to put up with any of this when you have the right institution to protect you.

What You Need To Do To Apply For An Protective Order

If your former spouse is causing harm to you, threatening to hurt you, or stalking you, you can get a Temporary Protective Order against them. To obtain a TPO, you need to go to the Superior Court in the country where your abuser lives and file a petition. Provide specific details of family violence so that your claims can be taken seriously by the court of law.

Within 30 days of filing a petition, the Court will arrange a hearing where both parties must be present. This is where the alleged victim and the defendant need to provide evidence to support their claims.

The victim must bring all the evidence they have including pictures of bruises, audio or video recordings, pictures of damaged property, etc. to the hearing.

How Does A Tpo Work?

According to Georgia law, a TPO stays in effect for up to twelve months, and may be converted to a permanent order based upon evidence. Protective orders are issued by a judge and they require an abuser to refrain from getting in direct or indirect contact with their present or former spouse, from harassing or threatening them, or causing harm to them.

In Georgia, ‘family violence’ can occur between former or current spouses, parents and their children, foster parents and their children, stepparents and their stepchildren, unmarried parents of the same child, and people that are currently living or used to live in the same household.

It can include these acts of violence:

• Stalking
• Battery
• Assault
• Criminal trespass
• Unlawful restraint
• Criminal damage to property

Violation Of Protective Order

If an individual violates a protective order issued against them, they may have to serve some time in jail. If your former spouse continues to get in contact with you or harass you, you need to report them to the police right away so the appropriate legal action can be taken against them.  Oftentimes a violation of a protective order will result in them being charged with aggravated stalking, which is a non-bailable offense in Georgia.  This means that once arrested, they will not be eligible for bail until they appear before a Superior Court Judge.

Final Words

Seek the support of your family and friends during this difficult time. Don’t overlook your spouse’s misconduct as it can aggravate in the future. Getting an injunction can be just what you need to keep yourself and your children safe.

If you believe that obtaining a protective order may be necessary in your divorce or child custody case, contact us at 404-738-5805 to schedule an appointment to discuss how we may be able to help keep you safe.

When it comes to sharing information on social media, we can all agree that it’s too much. The internet makes everyone feel closer and comfortable, and you’re bound to over-share on it at one point or another. Moreover, during pressing times, such as a pending divorce, social media only ends up heightening the awareness around your family and you, solely based on these posts or social media activities.

By social media activities, we don’t just mean posts and comments; we also refer to online photos, microblogs, tweets, likes, follows, and more. Whether you use YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or even Reddit or TikTok, be cautious about the content you are posting. Posting anything on these platforms means that you’re putting out public information that can be used as evidence in family law courts.

Why Do You Need To Be Careful?

If you’re an active social media user and use Instagram or Facebook to post fun pictures of a recent vacation that you went on, the opposing party might use this information against you. Something harmless could be misconstrued and misused in family law courts, which could place your candidacy for child custody and child support in jeopardy.

You’ll be surprised to know that information gathered from social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube can be used in a court of law as evidence. Many opposing parties work with their attorneys to routinely do this.

Your Social Media Builds Your Reputation

Evidence from social media is largely used to undermine the credibility you hold in the eyes of the evaluator for child custody and the judge. If you’re a prolific user of social media, you should be aware of one thing – your posts directly affect your reputation. Once you have made a post, screenshots, screengrabs, or videos can be made of the post.

The posts made in fun can be considered as evidence that you are not a good parent, or to show instances of perjury. Your posts and comments can also be used to contradict the current statements you made and showcase your propensity to lie as well as establish poor credibility in a court of law.

Being Careful About Posting

It’s better to exercise caution when you’re using social media. If you have a pending case for family law, it’s best to log off from all social media platforms that you use. If you’re still using social media, the following are some tips to keep in mind:

• Never cyberspy, stalk or harass the other party
• Think about the legal ramifications when you post anything
• Be as discreet as possible on all social media
• Be cautious when posting photographs
• Avoid discussions about the case, judges, attorneys, and opposing parties
• Choose all your words carefully and do not use expletives
• Set privacy settings to high

Remember that even if you have blocked the other person from all social media, mutual friends may pass information to the opposing counsel or party. You should also do a thorough search to look for online vulnerabilities on all your social media profiles. And, most importantly, keep your lawyer in the loop about all information that could be used against you or can help to strengthen your case.

Parenting isn’t as simple for unmarried parents as it is for married couples. That’s because child custody alone may be a matter fraught with complications. The problems regarding visitation and child support increase tenfold when you take marriage out of the equation.

As an unmarried parent, you should know that the custody of your child will naturally be awarded to the mother unless you file a legitimation action. You can also seek primary physical custody if the circumstances allow for it. But the most important thing for both parents to remember is that they should have their child’s best interests at heart before they can seek legal help.

Here’s what you need to know to get a better idea about the parenting rights of unmarried parents.

Child Support

In Georgia, child support works the same way for unmarried parents as it does for previously married couples. The court will assess the situation, calculate the amount, and then order the non-custodial parent to provide a fixed sum of money every month until the child turns 18 years old and graduates high school. In case of non-compliance, legal action can be taken against them.

If you’re responsible for child support and you run into financial problems down the line, you should seek re-evaluation to reach a more practical agreement that is fair to both you and the other parent.

Mother’s Rights Vs. Father’s Rights

The law makes it hard for unmarried parents who wish to raise a child together to avoid running into legal problems.

Under Georgia Law, the mother of the child is always granted custody of the child unless the biological father files a legitimation action. When she has the sole right to custody, she has full authority to make all kinds of decisions regarding the child’s health and wellbeing.

When she has legal and physical custody, she can make decisions about the following:

• Home residence
• Healthcare
• Child-care
• Education
• Extracurricular activities
• Travel

The father needs to take additional steps to establish legitimation. Most parents do this by filling a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgement Form when their child is born.  However, that does not give the father any custodial rights, but may still obligate him to child support.

Even after his paternity has been confirmed and the court has ordered him to pay child support, he still doesn’t gain visitation rights. He needs to file a legitimation action in court to request visitation rights and the custodial rights to his child.

Final Words

As specialists in family law in Atlanta, we’re here to help take care of all your legal problems and provide our full support to you. Any situation that involves a child is incredibly sensitive, which is why we have made it our mission to help parents protect their rights to their children and keep your child’s wellbeing as our topmost priority.

If you’re in need of help with a legitimation action, contact us now at 404-738-5805 to schedule an appointment to discuss how we may help you with your case.

During high conflict custody cases, one parent often makes false allegations against the other to make them seem like an unfit parent. They do so because they wish to gain full custody of their children and make sure the other parent has no say in how they’re raised.

It’s safe to say that they don’t have their children’s best interests at heart or they won’t try to paint a perfectly suitable parent in a bad light. What they fail to realize is that these accusations can work against them and they can end up with limited custody and supervised visitation rights.

If you’re in a custody battle with your spouse and you know they wish to manipulate the situation so they can benefit from it, you may experience false allegations of child abuse made against you. It’s necessary for you to keep your composure in the courtroom because your natural reaction can make the situation a lot worse for you.

After you’ve been falsely accused, the court will proceed with a predefined procedure to see if the accuser has given a false account of reality or not. You need to respect the decorum of the courtroom but you also need to be smart and make sure you fully understand your rights so you can take the right next step.

Provide Proof Of Innocence

When you’re wrongly accused of harming a child or neglecting them, you need to gather evidence to prove your innocence. You can also ask friends and family members that you trust to come in as character witnesses and support you in court. You may even need a guardian ad litem to do an independent custody investigation.

You have to understand the allegations first to disprove them. Provide receipts if you have any to show that the charges made against you are completely false. Get people who’ve seen you around your kid to vouch for your parenting style.

Seek Help Of A Family Law Attorney

The most important step you need to take is to get in touch with a professional family law attorney right away. Since they have years of experience dealing with such cases, they can help you come up with an effective strategy to contradict the claims made by your former spouse.

You need to explain the nature of the allegations to your attorney and share any suspicions you may have about your spouse’s intentions. If you think your spouse is acting this way to get back at you, then you need to be open about that with your attorney so they can guide you properly about what to do next.

If you live in Atlanta and you’re in the throes of a divorce and child custody battle, get in touch with us to schedule a consultation. We’ll make sure that any and every false accusation made against you is efficiently rebutted.

Bottom Line

You can expect a child protective services investigation in the wake of these allegations and you should cooperate with them because they’re only concerned about your child’s safety. The best way to deal with these allegations is to remain calm and show evidence that you’re a good parent. Contact us at 404-738-5805 so we can give you the legal support you need to win your case.

Having both parental figures around is one of the major factors that affect a child’s development. When you split with your spouse or partner and you have a child together, you need to figure out a way to co-parent so that your kid grows to become a well-adjusted adult.

Ideally, you’d live in the same city and going back and forth won’t be a problem for you. But what if you have to move to another state to pursue your career? You certainly can’t neglect your child just so you could climb up the corporate ladder.

To stay present in your child’s life, you need to get into a joint custody agreement with your former partner and work out a long-distance parenting plan to make sure your kid doesn’t miss out on either of their parents being around.

Things You Need To Consider

Crafting a plan with your former partner will require a lot of patience, preparation and pragmatism.

Schedule

You’ll need to figure out when you’ll be available and the duration of your availability. This can include things like how long it will take you to go back and forth, how easily you can travel, and if you’re financially stable enough to visit with your child frequently or not.

You’ll also have to plan ahead of time because staying in touch during the school year won’t be the same as visitation during school breaks. You have to consider your child’s age as well to figure out how much time you need to spend with them.

You should let the other parent know in advance if you need to make any changes in your schedule so they can make arrangements accordingly.

Holidays And Vacations

In most cases, long-distance parents exercise visitation with their children during holidays or breaks. If that’s how you plan to do it too, then you need to come up with a plan, taking the other parent’s wishes into consideration, so that both of you can spend time with your child and celebrate the holidays.

Technology

The advantage families have today over those in past generations is that there are so many ways to keep in touch with each other if you can’t meet up in person. You need to take full advantage of technology every chance you get to let your child know you care about them and become a constant presence in their life.

Make time in your everyday schedule to video-chat with them. If they’re old enough to type, then you should stay in touch with them through text messages as well and stay updated about any changes in their lives and tell them about any changes in yours.

Let Us Help

It’s not always possible to part with your spouse on good terms. But when you have a kid to look after, you need to do all you can to stick around for them and have them as your number one priority.

To figure out a plan with a difficult spouse or partner and make sure you’re not overstepping your co-parenting boundaries, you may have to get a lawyer involved. We’re here to help you with that.

Here at Atlanta Family Law Group LLC, we are committed to helping parents preserve their relationships with their children after a separation. Contact us at 404-738-5805 for a consultation and let us take care of the legalities so that you can spend time with your kid without any worries.

It won’t be an understatement to say that going through a divorce can be traumatizing for both you and your spouse. You have to replay everything that has been said or done countless times in your head to try and come to terms with reality.

It’s natural for you to be hesitant with the divorce proceedings as this will be a time when everything that happened between you two during the course of your marriage will come out into the open.

And it’s completely okay to feel disconcerted.

However, it’s important to discuss the major factors and details that led to your divorce with your attorney so they can truly help you with your case. When you meet up with your family law attorney for your initial strategy session, it’s necessary to know what you should ask ahead of time.

Every second is crucial, which is why you need to go in prepared. Everything else that will follow will be based on what you’ve established in this session.

What Are The Options?

One of the main questions to ask a family law attorney during your divorce strategy session is to find out what your options are going forward. Since you’ve already had your consultation and you’ve provided them with the necessary documents, you can expect the attorney to provide you with a rough idea about where you’re headed in the divorce procedures.

If you’re looking to reach a settlement and keep your divorce out of the courtroom, then you should voice your concerns so that your attorney can devise the right plan of action for you. Make sure your attorney understands how you feel about the situation and the things you want to avoid from the very beginning.

A Rough Timeline Of Your Divorce Procedures

Each case is different. There’s no way of knowing definitively how long it will take for you to get through the process because things you didn’t foresee may come up and make the situation a lot more complex.

However, during your strategy session, you can expect to get a rough estimate of how long your attorney thinks the litigation may take based on the specific facts of your case. This will allow you to prepare yourself mentally and take care of other responsibilities as well.

Child Custody And Marital Assets

If there are children involved and you’re not on friendly terms with your spouse to work out a suitable co-parenting plan, then you need to bring up the issue of child custody in the strategy session.

Ask your attorney about the important factors that you’ll need to keep into consideration and what your chances are of gaining primary or joint custody of your child, if that is your goal. You should know that issues related to child custody can complicate and prolong the whole process, so you need to figure out a strategy with your attorney to minimize conflict as much as possible while staying in a superior position.

Then there’s the case of splitting marital assets. In Georgia, the divorce laws stipulate that joint marital assets will be allocated equitably to each spouse. So, you need to go over your ownership rights and the legal framework for the division of marital assets with your attorney.

We’re Here To Help

We’re a law firm in Atlanta and we focus on high asset divorce and high conflict child custody cases. We pride ourselves on planning the best legal strategy to win your case and keep your goals front and center along the way. If you’re going through a divorce and want an attorney to take the legal problem off your hands, contact us at 404-738-5805 to schedule a consultation.

If you’ve run into legal issues with divorce and child custody, then you should consult a family law attorney right away and seek their advice. A highly qualified family lawyer will help you understand your situation better and make sure you’re well-represented every step of the way.

They’ll guide you through the whole process and explain all the legal requirements to you so you can protect your assets and get justice as quickly as possible. Here are things you need to look out for in a family law attorney to make sure they understand all your needs and help you win your case.

Communicative

When you’re picking an attorney, you need to know that credentials don’t always matter because the right attorney for you is one who understands your predicament completely and talks to you in a clear and engaging way. They should simplify legal procedures for you and explain every side of the case to keep you informed.

Communication is essential because if your attorney doesn’t make any effort to keep you updated about everything, then there’s no way to know if they’re even doing a good job at representing you. They should impart their ideas to you in clear terms so that you can feel more at ease about your situation.

Empathetic

The last thing you want to do is find an attorney who doesn’t really understand where you’re coming from. If you can’t sense empathy from them, then chances are they’re not the right lawyer for you.

When you’re talking to your attorney, you should feel understood. When you’re comfortable, it will be a lot easier for you to open up about your situation and provide necessary details to them so they can fight your case with more conviction.

Determined

This goes without saying. If a prospective attorney doesn’t seem serious to you and you feel like they’re not as interested in getting every detail, then you need to reconsider your options. A lawyer that’s not determined will not fight for you like they should.

You need someone who’ll go into depth about everything that directly applies to your case and represent you as though they are representing themselves.

Goal-oriented

Determination is necessary, but if your attorney doesn’t seem to have a clear goal in mind that they’re working toward, then you might not win your case with them. They should care about the result and make active efforts to take you closer to victory.

They should empower you and treat your case as though they’re taking it to trial. This way, they’ll cover all the aspects and put your best face forward.

How Can We Help?

If you’re wondering how to find a good family lawyer, then look no further. Atlanta Family Law Group LLC is a firm that specializes in divorce and family law in Atlanta, and we’re ready to give you the legal support you need to come out the other side victorious.

Our firm believes in protecting what’s important to you while redefining families. If you have a family law issue, contact us at 404-738-5805 to discuss how our determination can help you get the results you’re looking for.

Are you deciding to stay in an unhappy marriage just so your kids can be happy?

While this decision may come from a good place, it might not be the best one for you or your kids’ future.

Marriage in real life is nothing like it’s depicted in the movies. When you realize a little too late that you and your spouse are not compatible or your values aren’t the same, then you find yourself at a crossroads.

Should you get a divorce or stick it out for your kids?

In instances where there’s room for forgiveness and rebuilding your relationship, staying married for the kids may work. But in most cases, no matter what you do, the two of you just won’t be able to picture the rest of your life together as a happy couple.

And when there are children involved, it’s important to prioritize their needs because this could be something that shapes a huge portion of their lives. But you should know that staying together instead of choosing your happiness can be detrimental for your kids too. Here’s why you need to think long and hard before deciding to stay in a broken marriage.

Setting A Bad Example

The one thing people often forget is that kids learn from their surroundings. They subconsciously pick up behaviors and internalize what they see happening around them.

It’s impossible for you to fake your happiness with your spouse because even if you do, the atmosphere of the house will tell another story. Your kids will be able to sense the palpable tension and think that that’s how normal marriages are supposed to be.

They’ll have the wrong expectations from the institution. They may even mix up the concept of happiness and healthy relationships because you’d be setting a bad example for them. Your kids will grow into adults and may repeat the cycle that you started. They could stay in toxic relationships because you’ve taught them that leaving is not an option.

An Unhappy Home Results In Unhappy Kids

When you choose to stay for your children’s happiness, you don’t realize that your unhappiness will somehow affect them as well. You’ll distance yourself from them so they won’t find out that something’s wrong and end up significantly damaging your bond with them.

They won’t have any concept of self-love because all they’ve learned from you is that they shouldn’t put themselves first over someone else’s happiness. They’ll end up making decisions that will hurt them only to please other people.

When they’re able to put two and two together and realize you stayed for them, they’ll start believing that they’re responsible for your unhappiness.

It Will Put A Strain On Your Mental Health

When you use all your energy every single day just to keep up the façade of being in a happy marriage for your kids, you’ll break, both emotionally and spiritually. And when you’re in a constant battle internally, you won’t be able to focus on your parenting. And if you are, you won’t be able to do it right.

Living a lie just so your kids can grow up with both parents under the same roof will damage you beyond repair. Don’t miss your chance of finding true happiness just because you think the benefits of parents staying together outweigh the cons.

Last Words

When you’re not happy and you know there’s nothing left to work on, then you need to choose yourself and leave. Figure out a way to co-parent so your kids can have a better future.

Atlanta Family Law Group LLC is a family law firm that focuses on divorce and child custody cases. We can assist you in this difficult time. Contact us at 404-738-5805 to schedule a consultation to discuss how we may be able to help you get out of your unhappy marriage.