Marietta Child Support Lawyer

Marietta Child Support Attorney

Any child custody case can be difficult for a parent, whether it is a standalone family court issue or part of a larger divorce case. One of the most contentious elements of most child custody cases is child support, which ensures the child has all the financial support they need from both of their parents. A Marietta child support lawyer at Young Law Firm, LLC, can help you make sense of this issue in your upcoming case.

Georgia’s family law courts often order noncustodial parents or joint custodial parents who are the non-primary custodial parent in a divorce, paternity or legalization case to pay child support to the other parent. The legal battles involved in these orders can feel overwhelming and emotional for every party involved. If you face a child support fight, you need a lawyer who will represent your interests and fight to get a fair amount.

At Young Law Firm, LLC, our family law attorney in Marietta uses her more than 40 years of experience to help clients in Georgia get fair child support orders. Attorney Diana Whipkey Young will examine every detail in your case and then create a personalized strategy for your child support matter. You can learn more about how our attorney can help by scheduling a free consultation at our Marietta office. Please call us at 770-795-9596 to set up your free, 30-minute consultation.

Understanding Child Custody and Support in Marietta

Whenever married parents divorce or unmarried parents decide to raise their child separately, they must resolve child custody through the family court. This may not be an issue that can be privately negotiated. If the couple litigates, the court has a legal duty to ensure that any child custody and support order they issue will suit the best interests of the child or children it will affect.

The parents may privately discuss their goals and develop a proposal for a parenting plan, but if they are unable to reach a mutually acceptable decision that aligns with their child’s best interests, a family court judge will need to resolve the case.

Additionally, parents may not be able to negotiate child support privately either. The court will need to consider many factors when determining custody, and the outcome of this custody determination will directly impact child support.

In Georgia, most family court judges aim to provide a child with as much access to both of their parents as possible. As long as both parents have a work schedule that allows for it, joint custody agreements are the most common type of custody arrangement enforced in Marietta. In this type of custody arrangement, the parents share legal custody of their child and have an alternating schedule for physical custody or parenting time.

Both parents are required to contribute to the cost of raising their child. The court will consider multiple factors to determine the total amount of financial support the child needs each month and then determine which parent must pay the other child support. If one parent assumes a greater share of physical custody, the court interprets this as inherently assuming a larger responsibility for the child’s living expenses.

Usually, the parent who does not have primary physical custody will pay child support to the other, but this is not a guarantee for all custody and support orders. Ultimately, each case is unique, and if you want to reach the fairest possible outcome in your child support case, you need to have an experienced attorney representing you.

How Is Child Support Determined?

Georgia courts must determine the amount of child support to be paid by considering many factors and applying the Georgia Child Support Guidelines. One of the most critical factors that judges and juries consider when deciding a child support award is each parent’s gross income. Juries and judges may determine income based upon testimony or from documentary evidence admitted, such as:

• Pay stubs
• W-2 forms
• 1099 forms
• Tax returns
• Bank statements+
• The Domestic Relations Financial Affidavit, which is required to be filed in the case

If one parent provides health, dental or vision insurance to the child, those costs for that parent are considered when determining the child support award. Other extenuating factors include:

• Child care expenses required to allow a parent to work
• Health, dental and vision insurance provided by a parent
• Summer camp expenses
• Tutoring
• Extraordinary medical expenses

Above all, an experienced child support attorney can make a big difference in the factors that are considered and ultimately the amount of child support awarded. Attorney Diana Whipkey Young can effectively represent your child support case and work to ensure that you get the best possible outcome.

Helping Parents Enforce Support Orders

If a parent does not pay child support when ordered, the other parent has several ways to collect payment. A garnishment action can be filed if the child support has not been paid for more than 30 days. This type of action will allow the owed parent to collect unpaid support. Other options include an income deduction order and a contempt action.

Our experienced attorney can help decide what child support order to use for your specific situation. She will also assist you in collecting child support if the other parent still refuses to pay. She will take every action that she can on your behalf and work to get your outstanding support.

Find Your Marietta Child Support Lawyer Today

When you are facing a divorce or any other family court case likely to lead to a child support order, you will understandably have many complex legal questions that you will need help to answer. An experienced Marietta child support lawyer can be a crucial asset for all stages of your case, and Young Law Firm, LLC, is ready to provide the legal counsel you need in this difficult time.

Our team can review the details of your situation in a free 30-minute initial consultation. We can explain the legal services we provide, offer an estimate of what you can expect from your child support determination, and ultimately help you reach the fairest possible outcome to your case. It’s important to connect with legal counsel as soon as you can, so reach out to Young Law Firm, LLC, today to learn more about the legal services we provide.

Learn More In Your Free Consultation With A Child Support Attorney

If you are concerned about child support obligations, call 770-795-9596 or contact us online to set up your free, 30-minute initial consultation with our Marietta child support attorney. For our clients’ convenience, we accept all major credit cards. We serve clients in Cobb County, Bartow County and Cherokee County.