Family Law
The Gleklen Law Firm is a full-service family law firm practicing in all areas of family law, including divorce, separate maintenance, child custody, child support, post-divorce modifications, prenuptial & post-nuptial agreements, legitimation & paternity, contempt, grandparent visitation, late case evaluation, collaborative practice, and multi-state disputes. For your needs in any of these areas, explained below, you can count on The Gleklen Law Firm to deliver the high level of experience and expertise needed to get you a great result in your family law matter.
Divorce
Divorce generally covers four main areas: equitable division of property, alimony, custody and child support. The equitable division of marital property involves the discovery, identification and ultimately the division of the assets (and debts) accumulated during the marriage. Alimony involves the claim for support and maintenance of one party based on that person’s needs and the other person’s ability to pay. Custody issues involving minor children range from creating a Parenting Plan in the best interests of the children to addressing legal custody decision-making authority for health, education, religion and extra-curricular activities. Child support requires the analysis of each party’s income (including imputed income) and application of the Georgia Child Support worksheets.
We have extensive experience with each and every issue that can arise in a divorce case.
Whether you are looking for an experienced trial attorney to zealously represent you, or you are only looking to obtain a straightforward uncontested and amicable resolution to your case, The Gleklen Law Firm is equipped to meet your particular situation.
Separate Maintenance
Filing for separate maintenance can serve to financially support the dependent spouse while he or she is legally separated from the other spouse and considering whether to file for divorce. Specifically, separate maintenance agreements serve as an alternative for a divorce.
Child Custody
Child custody cases are often the most difficult and contentious because they involve the most precious part of any family: the children. Each child custody case receives the absolute highest level of personal attention from the team at The Gleklen Law Firm because each client needs to obtain the Parenting Plan that addresses the unique circumstances of the situation, including regular parenting time, holiday and summer schedules, educational decision making, health care decision making, extra-curricular activity decision making, religious training decision making, and parent communication and cooperation. Many cases involve a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem and/or custody evaluators. The Gleklen Law Firm has vast experience working with Guardian ad Litems and custody evaluators throughout the metropolitan Atlanta community.
Child Support
The establishment of child support involves a determination of each parent’s income or ability to earn income. Georgia’s child support guidelines also include provisions for ensuring that special circumstances related to the needs of the children and the unique financial considerations of the family are considered. We take a detailed and analytical approach toward presenting the child support needs of our clients.
Modifications
When circumstances change, child custody, child support and alimony often require adjustment. We will review your current custody and support agreements and orders and offer you advice on if and how to modify them to best address your new circumstances.
Prenuptial and Post-Nuptial agreements
Prenuptial agreements offer important financial protection for clients who are entering into marriage and need to protect their premarital property, business enterprises, contractual rights, inheritances and other financial interests.
Post-nuptial agreements are entered into by spouses for many different reasons. Some agreements are designed to promote a reconciliation of separated spouses. Other agreements will address some or all of the issues to be resolved in the event of a divorce.
We can negotiate and draft agreements that meet your individual circumstances.
Legitimation and Paternity
Unmarried fathers must take the legal initiative to acquire legal rights and visitation with their children. Georgia law requires an unmarried father to obtain a court order of legitimation prior to awarding the father any custody rights.
Unmarried mothers who want to obtain regular support from their child’s father must obtain a court order establishing paternity of the child first. We assist mothers with obtaining child support and securing the financial resources necessary for the best interests of their children.
Contempt
Many times, there are legitimate disagreements regarding the language of an order, and the court must interpret the settlement agreement or prior order. When a party has not complied with an order of the court, the remedy is to go to court to enforce compliance. The most common method of enforcing an order is the “contempt” proceeding. Contempt proceedings are serious because the court has broad authority to enforce orders, including the power and authority to incarcerate the person who violated the court order.
We represent clients who are in need of court intervention to force compliance. We also represent clients who have been accused of being in contempt of a court order.
Grandparent Visitation
In Georgia, grandparents have the ability to petition the court for visitation with their grandchildren and can also intervene in a divorce or custody action to seek visitation rights. While parents are given a great deal of deference to decide what is best for their children, in legal matters involving children the appropriate legal standard is always what is in the best interests of the children. Maintaining intergenerational relationships with family, especially after a divorce, might be considered to be in the children’s best interests.
If you are a grandparent looking to enforce legal rights to see your grandchildren, or a parent wanting to protect your parental authority, The Gleklen Law Firm can protect your rights and help you find a resolution in or out of court.
Late Case Evaluation
If mediation was tried and failed, the judge might order the parties to try late case evaluation. Here, both sides have the opportunity to present their case to a highly experienced family law attorney, who can explore the issues and give the parties an idea about how a judge is likely to rule based on the situation presented. This process can help facilitate the parties to come together and work out their differences without having to go to court for a full-fledged trial.
Collaborative Practice
Collaborative practice is a unique approach to settling a divorce or family law dispute in a mediation-style setting. Here, all the parties agree at the outset to commit to settling the dispute collaboratively. If they can’t reach an agreement, the attorneys agree to withdraw from representation, so they lose a client, and the parties have to start over from scratch. There is a lot at stake, but also a strong incentive to find a result that works for all parties involved. Attorneys must be specially trained in the collaborative process to participate. The Gleklen Law Firm has attorneys certified in collaborative practice and can explore this concept with you further.
Multi-State Disputes
Divorcing spouses or parents who live in separate states create a level of complexity that requires an attorney experienced in multi-state divorce, custody and support issues. Divorce, custody and support issues present significant challenges in multi-state cases, requiring the firm’s attorneys to maintain a thorough knowledge of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) and the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA). Adam Gleklen has successfully represented numerous clients involved in multi-state divorce, custody and support issues.
Here for You and All Your Family Law Needs
For help with any of the above areas of family law, call The Gleklen Law Firm at 678-236-0444, or contact us online to schedule a consultation.
