Law Office of Andrew C. Dodgen

Adoption

One of the happiest things lawyers (and Judges) get to do is help people with an adoption. When you adopt a child, you create a new parent-child relationship, and a new family. There are not many things better than that. We have handled adoptions from newborns to teenagers. Often times the adopting party is a stepparent or grandparent. whatever the case, it is a joy to be part of the process of providing a child a forever family.

Divorce

One of the toughest chapters of life anyone ever goes through is a divorce. The emotional and psychological toll of the process is tremendous, on both the husband and wife, as well as children and extended family. You need a lawyer to help guide you through these difficult waters. A divorce sets you on a new path in terms of your personal life as well as your financial life. You cannot afford to make a mistake.

Child Custody and Support

The child custody process is often the most emotionally stressful aspect of a family law case. While you can regain lost assets, you can never get back time lost with your children. Given the cost of living in today's environment, establishing a proper amount of child support is important for both parents. If you are seeking to establish child support or or defend against a support action, call our office today to discuss your case.

Child Support explained

The state of Georgia uses a guideline worksheet to determine how much child support should be paid to the parent. The guidelines are considered for fairness after filling out the “income shares worksheet” and comparing it to the parent’s situation. Although the guidelines are strongly relied upon to set the child support, they are still only guidelines. The court often looks at a number of factors that persuade judges to deviate from the child support guidelines. We clearly present the unique circumstances of your family to ensure that you fully recover the compensation your children deserve.

The factors that go into the income shares model include:

• The income of each parent

• The number of days that the child spends with each parent

• How many children there are

• Any special needs of the children

• The costs of daycare

• The costs of health insurance for the children

Legal and Physical Custody

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There are two types of child custody in Georgia:

• Legal custody, which is the right to make important decisions about issues such as your child’s medical care, education and religious upbringing.

• Physical custody, which is where your child will live.

Legal custody is usually shared, unless there are strong reasons why one parent should not have input into decisions. Many different physical custody arrangements are possible. In most cases, the child has a home base with one parent and then sees the other according to a visitation schedule. However, 50-50 joint custody plans are possible, as are split custody plans where each parent has custody of one or more children.

Fathers Rights

• Many fathers going through divorce or the breakup of an unmarried relationship assume that they will be at a disadvantage in a dispute involving child custody, especially if their children are young. However, times are changing. Today, moms and dads are on more equal footing in family court.

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• At the Law Office of Andrew C. Dodgen, we represent men who need help preserving their relationships with their children. We firmly believe that it is important for fathers to be involved in the lives of their children. We help dads obtain joint child custody plans and even sole child custody when it is appropriate.