Family Law: Marriage

June 27, 2018/in Marriage

You’ve all heard the tale as old as time, kissing in trees leads to marriage which leads to babies, which all leads to a happy life. However, marriage is a bit more complicated than that. In fact, there are a lot of legal aspects that need to be considered when getting married. Here at Kirbo Law Firm of Moultrie, Georgia, we understand those complications and would like to help you. Here’s our guide to what you need to know about the marriage aspect of Family Law.

The Basics: Requirements

Each state has its own set of specific laws, but many of them overlap. Here is a list of some of the most common requirements:
1. There must be consent given by both parties with full knowledge of what is happening
2. You cannot marry immediate blood relatives, although you can marry second cousins in every state.
3. In most states you must be 18 years old to consent to marriage. However, some states allow younger with parental consent
4. Both parties must be mentally healthy enough to understand marriage and what is required of it.
5. Proof of ID is required
6. You do not need to be a resident of most states to get married there
7. Both spouses, the person who officiated, and one or two witnesses over the age 18 must sign the marriage certificate

License: Common Requirements

A Fee ranging from $10 to $115 dollars.
A blood test is rarely required to check partners for diseases. It’s mostly obsolete now but some states like Montana still require it.
Some states enforce a waiting period before receiving a requested marriage license. These are usually under a week and are just to ensure it’s what the couple really wants.
Some states also require a waiting period after receiving the license. The longest waiting period is 3 days.
You must use your marriage in a certain amount of time depending on your state. It can go as quickly as 10 days to 1 year. Some states do not have an expiration for you license. Check out usmarriagelaws.com list to see each state’s specific laws.

Knowing What’s Yours

There are two types of property laws that differ depending on what state you live in. Most states are Common Law Property States. Common Law essentially means that if one person in a marriage solely buys somethings in their name, it’s theres. If an asset is bought under both parties names, then the assets are in joint tenancy with the right of survivorship. So whichever partner survives inherits the entirety of the property.
The other type of state is the Community Property State. Only several states follow these rules, but it essentially states that any assets acquired over the course of the marriage are owned by both parties. The only exceptions are items acquired before the marriage or gifts given to one person during the marriage

Want a Prenuptial Agreement?

Prenuptial Agreements (prenups) often have a bad connotation to them, as if the parties involved don’t trust one another. That’s not always the case though, as prenups are a safety precaution in a world where not everything always goes your way. There are many benefits to them, such as:

Protecting each parties assets
Set the financial responsibilities during a marriage
Protection from the debt of the other party
Ensuring someone besides your spouse else will inherit certain assets or income in the event of your death
How assets will be divided in the case of someone’s death
Set the financial responsibilities during a marriage
Figuring out how everything is split in the event of a divorce making a divorce a lot quicker and painless.

How do you get a Prenupial Agreement?

Prenuptial agreements can be created on your own, but it’s advised (and in some states required) to get a family law attorney for each party to look over and review the prenup. It must be a written agreement and It also must be presented to a court. A judge reviews and decides if the prenup is fair and meets state requirements. Obviously, the prenup must also be signed before some time before the marriage takes place.

What can not be included in a Prenup?

Illegal activities
Giving up alimony rights
Anything involving child care
Financial incentives encouraging divorce
Personal matters

Something to Note: Prenups can cost upwards $2,500 but in the event of a divorce, would be a lot more cost effective and better than letting a judge divide up your assets. Contact one of our Moultrie Family Lawyers today if you want to learn more about getting a prenup.

Changing Your Name

When you get married, there’s the option of changing your last name to the last name of your spouse. However it doesn’t just come with marriage. There are several steps you must take first. Usually you need to petition the court to change your name, an order describing the cause for the name change, and a decree to legally change your name. It also requires a fee upwards of $200. Don’t forget to notify important organization’s of your new name. Some places not to forget include

Social Security Administration
IRS
DMV
Banks + Credit Card Companies
Mortgage and Loan Companies
And remember to change your passport as well.

What’s a Common Law Marriage?

Common Law marriages are a way for two parties to have a valid marital status without going through a legal marriage ceremony. What is required of this can vary from state to state, but generally proof of a long lasting relationship, eyewitnesses to your relationship, deeds showing joint company, joint ownership of bank accounts, and more are ways to validate a common law marriage. This is mostly accepted only for a relationship between a man and woman, there are a few states who allow common law marriages for same sex couples. Each state has their own requirements and can be checked out here.

Have any other questions or would like to hire an attorney? Contact us here at Kirbo Law Firm, and we’re happy to set you up with one of our Moultrie family law attorneys.

Phone: (229) 985-1955 Fax: (229) 890-2487

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The Divorce Guide

June 3, 2018/in Divorce

Everything You Should Know About Divorce

Although divorce rates are lower than ever before, 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States end up getting divorced. Divorce is so commonly thrown around that it seems like it’s pretty simple because everyone gets them. There’s actually a lot of complicated legal steps involving divorce attorneys that go into the legal side of divorce. Here at Kirbo Law Firm, our divorce attorneys recognize this can already be a difficult enough time, without the heartache and stress of not knowing what the end result will be – that’s why we’ve compiled a list of steps you should take in an effort to help you what getting divorced actually entails from the decades of experience we have as Moultrie Divorce and Family Law Attorneys.

First, before getting into the legal parts of Divorce, we might as well mention the option of an Annulment.

Annulment

Annulments end a marriage like a divorce does, but it states that the marriage never happened. Depending on your religion, Annulments might be required for you to remarry. According to howstuffworks.com, there are four grounds for annulment.

“1. fraud or misrepresentation (for example, one spouse may already be married to someone else or may have withheld the fact that he or she can’t have children)

2. concealment (for example, the spouse may have concealed a drug addiction, prior criminal record or having a sexually transmitted disease)

3. inability or refusal to have sexual intercourse with his or her spouse

4. misunderstanding (for example, differing ideas of lifestyle or desire to have children)”

If you feel you meet the requirements for an annulment, you may want to try that first.

Different Types of Divorce

Contested Vs. Uncontested

Uncontested: A divorce is uncontested if the spouse who was served
1. Doesn’t respond to the divorce request
2. Doesn’t legally dispute the spouses decisions
3. Agrees to everything their spouse requests

Contested: If an agreement is settled for all issues, then it is contested and the couple will usually have to take their issues to divorce court. They may solve it during negotiations though (Most cases are settled out of court, only 10 percent go to court)

Default Divorce

If you serve your spouse with divorce papers and they are not responded to within the amount of time required, a judge can grant you everything you requested. However, if the spouse cannot be found to be served, a “service by publication” can be filed and the divorce request would appear publicly in local papers where your spouse was last located. This can take a while to get a response to.

Fault Vs. No Fault

When filing for divorce, there is usually a decision between having a fault or no fault reason. A fault could be, for example, adultery or abuse. However, no fault is most used reason and the most common phrase when describing why the marriage failed is “irreconcilable differences.” According to Alllaw.com,

“All jurisdictions allow for some type of no-fault grounds such as “irreconcilable differences”, but only a few states still consider fault grounds for divorce, such as adultery or abandonment. Your lawyer can tell you whether fault grounds are available in your state, and if so, whether or not it makes sense to file for divorce on fault grounds.”

Mediated Divorce

In the case of a mediated divorce, A mediator is hired to serve as a neutral party to help both spouses discuss negotiations and decisions. They do not decide like a judge would but help both parties come to an agreement.

Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative divorce is a mix between a mediated divorce and a standard divorce. Each party hires a lawyer that work together to settle the case. Each lawyer gets all the information from their party (legal information, financials, etc). The lawyers get together and discuss possible resolutions. If the decisions they come up with are opposed by either party, they will have to go to divorce court and hire new divorce attorneys.

Arbitration

With an arbitration divorce, a private judge is hired by both parties and makes a decision like a judge would. However, you must abide by his decision whereas you may be able to appeal with a judge.

Disclaimer: You may start out a divorce one way but it goes in another direction. In the steps below you will see how a contested divorce could go to a mediated divorce to a trial divorce.

The Steps to Divorce

Filing a petition

There are two different things you can file for. You can at first file for a legal separation or just go for the outright divorce. Most states require you are separated, living and sleeping in different locations. This is different than legal separation.
1. Legal separation requires a petition from a divorce attorney to the courts when one spouse leaves the family residence. This agreement is meant to ensure that both parties and any possible children are protected. Some states outlaw legal separation, and in that case you can request a hearing as to why you’d want a legal separation. There are certain benefits to doing a legal separation, which can range from not being sure you want a divorce to wanting to keep the benefits of the marriage. Check out some of the benefits here at liveabout.com
2. If you decide to get a divorce, you must start the process with a document called the “Original Petition for Divorce” and you would file that with your local court clerk. In this petition should also be listed any relief the party feels they are owed. You also must list a reason you are file for divorce. Even if both parties want the divorce, one person must actually file for divorce, and that person will be known as the petitioner and the other is the respondent. The petition is then served to the respondent, and once they are served they have 30 days to hire a divorce attorney and respond to the divorce. Here is where Liveabout.com states,

“Either party may ask for restraining orders, protective orders, or temporary orders pertaining to child support and alimony.”

Tip to remember: If you are filing for divorce, make sure to do it in your state of residence. Some states have adopted the Uniform Divorce Recognition Act, which requires the filing to be in the state where both parties reside. If you state has this policy and you file in another state, your state of resident won’t recognize the divorce.

Temporary Divorce Orders

Once the petition is dealt with, the court can issue orders that are temporary as an outline for actions that must be taken until the last divorce hearing. This is usually done for the needs of the spouses. If one spouse depends on the other for money to pay the bills or for time to take care of the kids, then the court will order that a certain amount is paid or that the children are taken care of. These temporary orders are usually completed within a few days and lasts until the last court hearing. If the person filing the temporary order is also the person filing the petition, these can be done at the same time. Some examples of what might be requested are,

1. “Request for temporary custody of minor children and for temporary child support

2. Request for exclusive use of the marital home

3. Request for exclusive use of motor vehicle

4. Request for injunction to make sure health insurance isn’t canceled

5. Request for injunction to make sure neither party can access a joint investment/brokerage account until the further order of the court

6. Request for award of attorney’s fees, meaning one spouse pays the other’s fees

7. Request for spousal support or alimony“

Service of Process

The person who files for divorce needs to also file for a document that shows that a copy of the divorce petition was given to the other party, this document is known as a Service of Process. Two common ways to do this are to have the Service arranged to go to the other parties divorce attorney, while the other way is having a process server giving it to the spouses place of employment. The latter is usually considered rude.

Negotiations, Responses,and Discovery

Once the other party receives the service of process, they need to file a response to the petition. If a divorce was filed for on grounds the other party doesn’t agree with, they may dispute those grounds in response and come back with a defense. There is also the “Discovery” portion of the process. Discovery is the time to gather information about either parties in the divorce. During this time, divorce attorneys for both parties will request a list of items from the other party that must be responded to within 30 days. There is a list of questions sent to the opposing side that must be answered, as well as a list of written facts that the party receiving must either admit or deny. This is also where a person will respond with what they feel they deserve in regards to property, financial support, child custody, or other issues.

Note: When child custody is involved, a custody petition must be filed separately from the divorce filing itself. Remember to make the best interest of the child the priority here.

Request for Production

This is the part used to gather documents from the respective parties that could be statements of income, bank statements, etc. This is often a place that delays the divorce process as people have trouble giving out their personal information. However the party who receives a request for production must respond with the documents in 30 days.
If two parties are having a hard time negotiating custody of the children, often the court orders mediation, the help of a social worker, or other court employees to represent the children.

Depositions

Each party will give the other parties divorce attorney a sworn testimony. They will also take testimonies from witnesses to the marriage. You have to be careful here because anything said during this deposition may be used in court if the negotiations don’t have a resolution and both parties end up in divorce court. If you do end up going to trial, the divorce will last longer and cost more money. It’s always advised to try to not go to trial.

Divorce Mediation

First you will go to divorce mediation before having to go to court. Both parties and their divorce attorneys come together to discuss conflicts and negotiations and try to come to a conclusion. There is another divorce attorney present, which is a court appointed “mediator.” He is there to be in the middle of the two parties.

Trial

In the case of the mediation failing, you will go to trial or divorce court. Both parties argue their case before a judge. You should always discuss what you will say and your strategy with your divorce attorney. After the trial, the judge will make a decision based on both testimonies and usually give a response within two weeks. If there is no response in that time, you should contact your divorce attorney.

Aftermath

Once the judge makes a decision, both divorce parties will have to sign a document including the final decision of the divorce. This is called the Order of Dissolution. Read the document line by line and decide if there’s anything you’d like to change and you can request it. Pay attention to the wording, loopholes exist.
If you are still unhappy with the outcome, you may file a motion to appeal the order and try again. You will be given the same judge in that hearing though and you rarely will get approved to go to trial again. If you still feel that strongly about it, you can file an appeal with the state appellate court.
Remember, quick divorces can be common if there are no children or marital assets to split. However, when children and assets are involved, you shouldn’t be surprised if it takes longer than you’d like. It’s a lot of back and forth paperwork and negotiations with someone you’re trying to divorce. It may take a few months. Hopefully each party is reasonable and that’s all it takes.

That’s All You Need

Going through a divorce can be a difficult, tedious and heartbreaking process. That’s why you should hire the best Moultrie lawyers who will do everything they can to make it a quick and seamless process that results in your best interest. Here at Kirbo Law Firm, we want to do that for you. Contact us now if you have any questions or are looking for a divorce attorney in Moultrie, Georgia.

Phone: (229) 985-1955 Fax: (229) 890-2487

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Family Law

June 2, 2018/in Children, Divorce, Family Law, Marriage

What Exactly Is Family Law?

The term “Family Law” sounds pretty broad. In it’s simplest definition, Family Law “deals with family-related issues and domestic relations” Most commonly, this is associated with issues relating to divorce and child custody. However, divorce is more a subset of family law, and there are many other fields and issues involved in it. So, what is covered by a Moultrie attorney that works in family law?

Marriage:

You already know divorce requires a divorce lawyer, but maybe you haven’t considered what work goes into the marriage in the first place. The main ways family law deals with marriage are:

Marriage License
Who Owns What?
Prenuptial (Agreements about property, finances, and almost anything you can think of made before a marriage)
Same Sex Marriage laws
Age of Consent

In regards to the first three subjects, it would definitely be helpful to have a Moultrie Family Law Attorneys help.

Divorce and Alimony:

Getting divorced almost always involves divorce attorneys and divorce lawyers. For more information about what goes into a divorce, check out our other blog post here. Alimony is another subject related to divorce. Alimony occurs when one spouse is required to financially support the other spouse after a divorce takes place. This again, takes a lawyer of family law to handle.

Child Support & Custody:

Family lawyers and the court are involved in the calculating how much child support is owed, college expenses, medical expenses, and other financial decisions. They also are involved in deciding where the child will primarily reside. They try to make these decisions based on the best interest of the children regarding living arrangement and financial support.

Adoption & Fostering:

Our Moultrie family lawyers come into play here by guiding clients through the adoption process and determining if someone has the eligibility to adopt. Fostercare is even more complicated with the many issues foster children face. They have to determine foster parents want to foster for the right reasons and will be taken care of in their foster home.

Marital Property:

Marital Property goes hand in hand with marriage and divorce, and even the death of a spouse. Our Moultrie family lawyers deal with who owns what if one of these events occur.

Emancipation:

Emancipation laws are set in place to help determine if a child is mature enough to live apart from their parents and to be independent. Family law helped establish the rights and privileges of a child who is successfully emancipated; such as the ability to enter into contracts and leases, keep money earned, get married, agree to medical treatments, and more. These rights can vary by state. A minor must file a petition with the court to begin this process.

Parental Rights:

Parental Rights range from liability of a parent’s child to the termination of rights for their child. Family Law makes parents responsible for non criminal yet malicious activity and damage done by their children. In regards to termination, the grounds for it may be found here. These rules were set in an effort to protect children. Of course a lawful proceeding by an attorney needs to take place before rights are terminated.

Paternity:

Paternity must be established sometime after the child is born, but if it’s not soon after it can lead to some complications. For example, if an absentee father leaves his hometown of Moultrie, Georgia, and then years later decides he wants to come back into his child’s life, he has to try to establish paternity first to have rights to the child. Other times, a man may want to challenge his own paternity to see if the child is really his. If a husband and wife have a child, the husband is presumed to be the father, but in the case of infidelity, he can challenge his rights to his child.

Domestic & Child Abuse:

Cases like these are handled in a criminal court but also involve family law intervention as well. Family Law deals specifically with laws by state defining what child abuse is and laws regarding reporting possible abuse cases. There is a list of people who are required by law to report suspicion of abuse.

Reproductive Rights:

Reproductive Rights revolve around an individuals right to reproduce and maintain good reproductive health. Laws regarding birth control, abortion, artificial insemination, and others are in this category and are regulated on state level and change quite frequently. Family Law also involves the distribution of reproductive information in schools.