Family Law & Domestic Relations

Many couples or individuals hope to build a family through adoption. Adopting a child can be a lengthy process that takes an emotional toll on all parties involved. The laws vary depending on whether you are adopting a child born in Georgia, another state, or in a foreign country. The attorneys at HBS will guide you through these laws to work toward making your dream of becoming a parent is a reality.

Under Georgia law, the best interest of the child is paramount. As part of the adoption process, the rights of the legal and biological parents of the child must first be terminated. Georgia law allows the termination of parental rights if the legal or biological parent has voluntarily relinquished the child, or abandoned the child, or the parent has failed to pay court ordered child support regardless of the reason to include alcohol abuse, drug abuse, or incarceration.

We will fight for you in the adoption process in having the court find that it is in the best interest of the child that the parental rights be terminated and that your petition for adoption is granted.

Separation. Divorce. Child custody disputes. Child support battles. Division of assets battles. All of these words have strong emotional implications as well as important legal implications. You need an attorney who knows the laws affecting your case and that understands how to navigate legal process.

Having counseled and represented countless clients, the attorneys at HBS understand that the decisions you are facing are serious and life altering. We provide advice and guidance as you transition through the divorce process and into the next chapters of your life. With that in mind, our legal representation is focused on the individual involved and the issues that are important to that individual client.

No one marries with the plan for the marriage to end. But when the marriage ends, it can be a painful experience for all involved, be it the husband, wife, father, mother, son, or daughter. The pain and turmoil of the divorce combined with not knowing the laws or the legal process, can cause you to make poor or ineffective decisions that will negatively impact you for years to come.

At HBS, we believe that the best way to help with the pain of our clients and their families is to educate them about their legal rights following separation and divorce. We will guide you through the laws that govern divorce, custody, child support, spousal support, and division of assets. Our attorneys have years of experience in the courtroom as well as in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation. If you are going through a divorce, or contemplating separation, you need to consult an attorney who will work to protect your rights.

The attorneys at HBS are ready to represent you.

Whether you are the soldier or the spouse of a soldier contemplating divorce, HBS understands the sacrifices our soldiers and their families make in defending our country. Our attorneys have protected the rights of soldiers as well as the spouse of a soldier in divorce actions, including when the soldier is being deployed or changing duty stations as well as the division of property to include military retirement.

The attorneys at HBS know how federal law intersects with Georgia law and will protect the rights of our soldiers or their spouses. Whether you are an enlisted soldier or officer of the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard or are the spouse of the soldier or officer, the attorneys at HBS will fight hard to protect your rights.

After a divorce decree or final custody order has been filed, the only parts that can be modified in a subsequent legal action are child custody, child support, and alimony.

In today’s economy, many parents are receiving substantial raises and increases in pay, while others are facing tough times with their wages being cut or having lost their job. In certain circumstances, Georgia law allows child support orders and/or alimony orders to be modified to increase or decrease the support order if you have experienced a change in income or financial circumstances.

The attorneys at HBS will work on your behalf whether you are seeking a modification or defending against a modification of support, upward or downward. The goal of our HBS attorneys is to learn and understand the facts of your particular case to make sure your interests and the interests of your children are protected.

Prenuptial agreements are contracts between couples contemplating marriage that can set the division of assets and even alimony in the event the marriage is not successful and ends in divorce. Prenuptial agreements are enforceable in Georgia so long as it is properly prepared and properly executed. At a minimum, it requires full disclosure of financial assets and liabilities by both parties, terms of alimony, if applicable, and so long as sufficient time is allowed for each party to read the proposed prenuptial agreement and obtain their own legal counsel.

Whether you are seeking to have the prenuptial agreement drafted in accordance with Georgia law, or you are asked to sign a prenuptial agreement, you should have an independent attorney to make sure your legal interests are fully protected. The attorneys at HBS have the experience to protect your assets and your legal rights with regard to a prenuptial agreement, as well as a postnuptial agreement.