Columbia County Georgia family lawyers – New Child Support Guidelines in Augusta GA

Columbia County Georgia family lawyers – New Child Support Guidelines in Augusta GA

A contested divorce is one where both parties argue so much over assets or custody that they are unable to reach an agreement, and instead take these issues to the court to determine. The judge and court clerks are the main players in a contested divorce lawsuit. In Georgia, the jury cannot decide custody or visitation, they can determine only financial issues. In the 2006 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 382 and it dramatically revised the entire structure of how child support is determined in the State of Georgia. The new rules address and codify numerous situations that often arise in child support lawsuits. For example, the new guidelines have provisions that specifically address what happens when a parent suffers an involuntary loss of income. If one parent is unable to afford his or her child support obligation due to an involuntarily termination from employment that results in a loss of income of at least 25 percent, the guidelines afford that parent some protection. The new rules provide protection to a parent when the other parent becomes voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. In those cases the court is required to determine the causes for the parents occupational choices.
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Shawn Gunder is an Augusta GA divorce lawyer & Georgia Military Divorce Lawyer He is an Augusta military divorce lawyer, GA child custody attorney and Augusta Georgia child support attorney.