How To Deal With The Marital Home In A Divorce

Since I began this week with a joke about how to deal with a marital home in a divorce, I thought that maybe this next post should focus on some real, practical tips for you to discuss about this topic with your own Georgia divorce lawyer.

First of all, this discussion assumes that we are referring to marital property; that is, a home acquired during the marriage and not as a result of an inheritance by one of the parties in the divorce.

Second, here are a couple of practical tips to consider: If the marital home is in both names, but one of you wants to keep it, then it is important that you consider how to get it out of the other party's name. In other words, it generally would be unfair, if one party is going to keep the home, for the other party to have their credit tied up over the next 20 or so years until the mortgage is paid off. Therefore, you should discuss with your divorce attorney the idea of including in a settlement agreement, (or arguing before a judge), a provision requiring the party who is keeping the house to refinance, (and get the mortgage/property out of the other side's name), within a specified period of time. Also, while that party is refinancing, they may also be able to borrow money to cover the other party's share of any equity, if that is appropriate. Finally, you should also discuss with your own divorce lawyer the idea that, if the other party does not, or cannot, refinance within the specified time, then the house probably must be listed and sold.

Again, every divorce is different. So, please discuss all these issues about equitable division of marital property with your own divorce lawyer.

I hope this post gave you some good practical information and tips! But I think we will both agree that it wasn't as funny as the divorce "joke of the day!" Have a nice weekend!

A Divorce "Joke of the Day" About Property Division

As you know, I am a divorce lawyer in Augusta, Georgia. On Friday, I attended a seminar about various Georgia divorce law issues, including alimony, adultery, child custody, and equitable property division.

While we realize, as divorce attorneys, that divorce is no laughing matter, we thought it might be a good way to start the week by sharing with you one of the jokes about divorce we heard at the seminar. The joke is about how to equitably divide a house in a divorce. Here goes:

A man going through a divorce was explaining to his friend about how the judge had equitably divided the marital home. "The judge said he was going to divide it equally. He gave her everything inside the house and I got everything left outside it."

I hope your week goes well!

What is the Price or Cost of an Uncontested Divorce in Augusta, GA?

As Augusta, Georgia divorce attorneys, (i.e. our father and son attorneys handle divorce and child custody cases throughout Richmond and Columbia County, and the CSRA), we receive telephone calls and email inquiries every single day concerning the cost or price of an uncontested Georgia divorce. We proudly offer free initial consultations in which you can talk with a divorce lawyer about your potential divorce case without any charge. Our Augusta family law firm also strives to offer some of the lowest, most affordable legal fees in the Augusta, Evans, Richmond and Columbia County, GA areas. 

Since we receive so many questions about it, I thought it might be helpful to discuss again the topic of how much does an uncontested, (as opposed to contested), divorce generally cost. Of course, you should first be aware that the costs of an uncontested divorce generally include the divorce attorney's fee, along with the cost of filing the uncontested divorce documents. In short, the going rate, here, for an uncontested divorce generally ranges from $500 to $1500, plus a court filing fee of $205. 

At the Goolsby Law Firm, LLC, depending upon the circumstances, we generally charge a legal fee at the low end of that range for an uncontested divorce. In addition, in uncontested divorce cases involving children, you should also expect to spend at least another $30 to $40 for the cost of attending a children of divorce seminar, which is court-mandated. Your divorce lawyer will be able to provide you with information about each of these costs.

I hope this information helps! Please feel free to call the Goolsby Law Firm, LLC at (706) 863-5281 for a free consultation. Have a great weekend!

Celebrity Separations and Divorces: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver

[Photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger from wikipedia]

Have you heard about Total Recall, the new "tell-all" book by actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger? Look, as a busy Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyer, I will acknowledge that I haven't read the book. But I have heard his promotions of it on his current book tour.

According to various reports, while the book focuses on other aspects of the "Governator's" life, it also contains his version of what transpired with his housekeeper, which yielded a son, while he was married to Maria Shriver. As you know, following the revelation of the affair, Schwarzenegger and Shriver filed for divorce.

What do you think about celebrities who write such tell-all books? Is it their right to do so? Should they do so? Why or why not?

Is the Cheapest Divorce Lawyer Always the Best?

So, your worthless spouse, "Sluggo," has been up to no good again and, this time, you have caught him runnin' around on you with Doris, the new waitress down at the local diner! So, you have decided to get a divorce, once and for all. Where do you begin? How do you find a good, cheap divorce lawyer? What should you do?

As an Augusta, Georgia divorce attorney, I recommend that you begin by talking with family and friends about recommendations of good, experienced divorce lawyers near you. You can also check the telephone book, or check online, to find divorce lawyers in your town. Next, we recommend that you should make appointments with prospective attorneys, meet with them, and ask good questions about their experience and about your divorce before deciding which family law attorney should represent you in your divorce case.

But take it from me, a divorce lawyer in Augusta, Georgia, you should never, never make your decision about which attorney to choose based solely upon who is the cheapest lawyer! This lesson is particularly true if important issues, such as child custody, alimony, or property division, may arise in your divorce! 

So, go ahead, if you choose, and "make Sluggo's day" by filing for a divorce, but we recommend that the cost or price should be only one of many factors in selecting a good divorce lawyer. After all, as with every other decision we make in life, sometimes we get what we pay for!  Don't you agree?

Celebrity Marriages and Divorces: Mark and Dianne Burnett

[Photo of Producer Mark Burnett from wikipedia]

How many of you are fans of the reality t.v. show Survivor, which premieres again tomorrow night? Just as I have "survived" many tough divorce cases in the courtroom as an Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyer, I also am a fan of Survivor! 

Like so many other busy Hollywood celebrities, Mark Burnett, the British television producer who is responsible for producing Survivor, (along with a number of other television shows, such as The Apprentice), had previously experienced, or survived, a divorce. According to wikipedia, Mr. Burnett and his previous spouse, Dianne, divorced in 2003. Both he and Dianne have since each re-married.

Burnett's ex-wife, Dianne, who appeared as a guest on Fox and Friends this morning, is a prolific author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, in her own right. 

Just as these talented people have experienced a divorce, if you are going through one, you can be a survivor, too!

Celebrity Separations and Breakups: Chipper Jones

[Photo of Chipper Jones from wikipedia]

As we have discussed before in this blog about divorce, being a celebrity can present unique challenges for a marriage. It is also interesting to see how various celebrities facing marital problems react to the media spotlight.  Some celebrities shun the media attention; others seem to enjoy the media focus.

In my opinion, Atlanta Braves baseball star Chipper Jones and his spouse have handled matters in the proper way. In short, while various media outlets reported earlier this year that he and his spouse had separated, since then, little or nothing has been reported by either party. And that is the way that such matters should be handled --i.e. privately, between them and their divorce lawyers -- in my opinion!

What do you think?