Celebrity Breakups and Divorces: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

[Photo of Demi Moore from wikipedia]

As Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyers, we are often asked: how long does it take to get a divorce?  Well, the answer is: it depends! In other words, there are a lot of factors which can affect how long it takes for a divorce to become final.

For example, have you followed any of the news reports about the separation of actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher? According to various news reports, the celebrity couple separated over a year ago and yet, reportedly, their divorce has never been finalized.

Even in a typical Georgia divorce, there are a number of factors, such as whether it is a contested or uncontested divorce, or whether or not the couple is fighting over child custody, which can determine how long the court proceedings can take.

A simple, uncontested divorce can be completed in as little as a couple of months. However, some tough, contested divorces can take a year or longer to complete!

We recommend that you discuss this question, along with all your rights and options, with your own divorce attorney. Hopefully, your divorce won't take as long to complete as some celebrity breakups!

Celebrity Separations and Divorces: Danica Patrick

[Photo of Danica Patrick from wikipedia]

Are you a NASCAR fan? Have you heard the news? According to various news reports, popular NASCAR driver, model, and advertising guru Danica Patrick has announced her plans for divorce from her husband of seven years, Paul Hospathal.

As an Augusta, GA divorce lawyer, I have seen a little bit of everything. But I haven't before seen a divorcing party announce his or her divorce via Facebook, which is how Ms. Patrick informed her fans about this news. Here's hoping that these divorcing parties find peace and happiness, on the track and off.

Uncontested Divorce in Augusta, GA: What It Really Means and Costs!

As Augusta, GA divorce attorneys, we get telephone calls and email inquiries every day about the cost or price of an uncontested divorce in Georgia. We gladly offer free consultations with folks who need information about both uncontested and contested divorces.

Maybe it is time for a quick recap about the difference between an uncontested divorce and a contested divorce. In short, generally, an uncontested divorce, (from our perspective as Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyers), means that your worthless spouse, "Sluggo," will not only agree to all your terms, (and those terms must be in accordance with what our judges will readily approve), but also that he will fully cooperate and promptly sign all the divorce documents which we will prepare for you.

In short, if Sluggo will fully cooperate and promptly sign everything we prepare, then we can try to help you obtain a much more affordable, simple uncontested divorce for as little as $500, plus costs.

However, if Sluggo refuses, for whatever reasons, to fully cooperate and promptly sign all the documents, then, by our definition, it is a contested divorce, which can easily cost several thousands of dollars, (at a minimum). 

So, I trust that you can see that an uncontested divorce does not simply mean that your spouse does not contest getting a divorce. It means more. It means, at a minimum, that he will also fully cooperate and promptly sign all the divorce documents.

Of course, every divorce is different. Some divorces involve alimony, child custody or child support issues, and other divorces do not. So, it is important that you discuss your own divorce situation with your own divorce lawyer! Then, if you choose, you can go ahead and "make Sluggo's day!"

The Goolsby Law Firm Brag Board!

[Photo of The Goolsby Law Firm, 233 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA]

Please allow me to brag a little bit today. My second son, Blake Goolsby, has successfully passed the Georgia Bar exam and has now been sworn in as a licensed Georgia attorney! Blake has now joined his brother, Richard H. Goolsby, Jr., and me, (his father, Richard H. Goolsby, Sr.), in our family law practice, here, in Augusta, GA. We will continue to handle Augusta area divorce cases, personal injury cases, criminal law cases, and other general litigation -- but now, our family of lawyers is just a little bit bigger!

Now, I hope you can understand why I am so happy today!

Celebrity Separations and Divorces: Anna Trebunskaya and Jonathan Roberts

[Photo of Anna Trebunskaya from wikipedia]

Have you heard the sad news about yet another celebrity marriage reportedly biting the dust? This time, according to various news reports, the split is occurring between Dancing with the Stars professional dancers Anna Trebunskaya and Jonathan Roberts. The couple is reportedly divorcing after a nine year marriage.

While no one knows, or needs to know, what happened here, we have discussed many times before in this divorce blog about the unique stressors which can break up Hollywood marriages. Here's hoping that Trebunskaya and Roberts can each find happiness in the future.

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!