Discovery Responses in Divorce Cases

In the State of Georgia, each party is entitled, through his or her divorce attorney, to engage in various discovery practices, in order to learn more of the facts of the case. For instance, your divorce lawyer may, in some divorce cases, take the deposition of the other party, (or depose "Sluggo's" mistress!). You can also make the other side disclose their financial information and who their witnesses will be.

In addition, your divorce lawyer may elect to submit interrogatories or requests for the production of documents by the other party.

Likewise, your divorce attorney may contact you and tell you that the other side has submitted similar discovery requests to which you must respond. 

But the important point I wanted to make today is that you should discuss with your own divorce lawyer any questions or problems you have in submitting your responses. Also, it is important that you be timely, because, ordinarily, your divorce lawyer will have only thirty days to review, format, and submit your discovery responses to the other attorney.

Happy Mother's Day From The Goolsby Law Firm

[Mother's Day Depiction from connect-in.com]

"A Mother's Day Memory"

          By Richard Goolsby

Oh, to think of Mother's hug,
Evokes a sentimental tear!
My heart strings pull and tug,
As Mother's Day draws near!

When I was young and ill,
She would rock me through the night.
That old rocker squeaked and squealed,
But still, she held me tight.

I can feel her arms around me,
As she held me late one night.
I can feel her love surround me,
Mother's love makes most things right.

I can see her -- just above me,
I can hear her voice, so clear,
And the words to "Jesus Loves Me,"
From her lips down to my ear.

Yes, it's true -- my mother's gone,
But it's also true, you see,
My mother still lives on,
In my heart and memory!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms "out there!"

Celebrity Divorces: Danica Patrick

[Photo of Danica Patrick from wikipedia]

Well, all you NASCAR fans, it is official! Give her the checkered flag! Yes, the divorce of NASCAR driver Danica Patrick is reportedly final, according to various news sources. You may recall that, earlier, Ms. Patrick had selected an unusual way to inform her fans about her split-up. She did it via Facebook!

Here's hoping that Ms. Patrick and her new beau, reportedly NASCAR racer Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., find happiness while chasing each other around the track!

Which Month is "Divorce Month?"

Which month of the year would you guess is the month during which the most divorces are filed? As an Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyer, I wondered why, so I did a little investigative work to learn the answer! Here is what I discovered!

According to some sources, January is the month during which more divorces are filed than any other month. For instance, according to the Huffington Post, some divorce attorneys actually take off the last two weeks of the year to rest up for the added work after the new year begins! 

But according to another source, findlaw, March, not January, is the most "popular" month of the year for couples to file for divorce. This source indicates that, while divorce filings start picking up in January, they reach their peak in March.

Look, as an Augusta, GA divorce lawyer, I believe that March is the correct answer. And here's why. While many couples do try to stay together during the holidays, for the sake of the kids, telephone calls to us, at the Goolsby Law Firm, do start picking up in January, after the holidays are behind. 

But I also believe that more people, at least in this part of Georgia, wait until they get their income tax refunds before they seek a divorce lawyer's help in filing for divorce. So, that is why I agree with findlaw that March is the correct answer as to the busiest month of the year for filing divorces.

But that doesn't mean that plenty of people don't wait and file for divorce in all the remaining months of the year, too. What do you think?

Celebrity Separations and Divorces: Tony Danza

[Photo of Tony Danza from wikipedia]

How long does it take to get a divorce? Well, it depends! In the case of actor Tony Danza and his ex-wife, Tracy Robinson, it took between two and six years. But let me explain!

According to various news reports, Danza, the popular star of Taxi and Who's the Boss, and his spouse separated about six years ago, but the divorce case was not actually filed until about two years ago. So, technically, it only took about two years for their divorce to become final, based upon reports.

Of course, as Augusta, Georgia divorce attorneys, we see divorces take as little as a couple of months to complete and as long as a year or more, depending upon whether it is contested or uncontested, and whether or not child custody is contested.

We recommend that you discuss with your own divorce lawyer the question of how long the divorce will take, along with all other questions about your own particular divorce case. 

A (Fictional) Poem About Adultery

    The Window's Secret
              By Richard Goolsby
She was crying at the window
Of a shop across the street.
I was dying to go in, though
I knew we'd never meet.

I wondered, "Are her tears for one
At war across the sea?"
"Or is she sobbing for a son
Who departed prematurely?"

But then, I saw her turn toward me,
Through the window of that shop,
Her expression -- now, filled with glee,
I wondered what was up.

The window showed the reason why
Her life was filled with strife,
For there, I saw another man
Was holding close my wife!

"Equitable" Property or Debt Division Doesn't Always Mean "Equal"

In this blog about Georgia divorce, as Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyers, we often attempt to give you good, practical tips and information about divorce for you to discuss with your own divorce attorney.

For instance, today, I want to talk a little bit about equitable property or debt division in a divorce. In other words, you may have wondered whether or not a divorce judge will simply divide everything down the middle. The simple answer is...as you might expect from a divorce lawyer...it depends!

In other words, in some cases, if one party's income is substantially higher than the other party's, then it might not be fair to split the marital debt evenly. Also, you would need to discuss with your own divorce attorney the potential impact of adultery, or another fault ground, on such issues as alimony and equitable property division. For instance, if your worthless spouse, "Sluggo," has been running around with Gladys, the new waitress down at the diner, then you and your divorce lawyer may essentially argue that Sluggo should end up with none of the assets and all of the debt!

So, you see, in a divorce, "equitable" does not always mean "equal." In some divorce cases, each party may ultimately receive about one-half of the assets, or one-half of the debts to pay. But because each divorce case is different, it is important for you to discuss with your divorce attorney all the facts, along with your all rights and options, in obtaining an equitable, or fair, resolution.

"Cheap" Divorce Attorneys in Augusta GA

Do you bloggers "out there" ever check to see what key words bring folks to your blogs? I have noticed that we, at the Goolsby Law Firm, LLC, (see our law firm's website here), sometimes receive visits to our sites from people looking for "cheap divorce lawyers in Augusta, Georgia." Should this make our divorce lawyer law firm happy or sad?!

I guess it depends upon which definition of the word "cheap" you go with!  For instance, according to the free online dictionary, one definition of "cheap" would refer to a divorce attorney who is "relatively low in cost," or "inexpensive."  I like that definition! And I believe it applies to us, because we attempt to make our services as Georgia divorce lawyers affordable, low in cost, or relatively inexpensive.

But according to another definition of "cheap," it would refer to a divorce lawyer who is "of poor quality," or "stingy." Naturally, we do not accept that definition of the divorce attorneys at our Augusta, Georgia law firm! We always try to give good, personal service, in divorce or child custody cases, at a low cost. We also offer free initial consultations.

In any event, no matter how you came to visit our divorce blog, or our Augusta, GA divorce law firm, we welcome you and hope to provide you with some good, general information and tips for you to discuss with your own divorce lawyer.  And this is better than cheap. It is free!