Custody & Visitation

Often times the single most contentious issue in a divorce with children involved is the question of who gets custody of the children and what visitation the non-custodial parent gets to exercise. Edwards, McLeod, and Money are the premier Douglasville child custody attorney and we believe that children are better off when both parents are involved in their lives, provided both parents are responsible and appropriate to care for the children.

Even though parents may not be able to get along and stay married, if they both want what is in the best interests of the children then they will learn to co-parent. The Georgia courts attempt to assist in educating parents on how to do this by requiring divorcing parents of minor children to attend and complete a four hour seminar.

These seminars are widely available and parents in the 7th Judicial District (Cobb, Douglas, Paulding, Haralson, Polk, Bartow, Gordon, Murray, Whitfield, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Walker, and Floyd counties). Parents in this district can register for the seminar online by following this link: DPS Registration. The court will not grant a divorce where custody is involved without both parents having certificates of completion of the seminar.

Under the law, mothers and fathers start off with the legal presumption that primary custody would be equally appropriate for either parent. Many factors can and will impact that initial presumption. It is important that you hire a skillful attorney to present relevant facts and persuasive arguments to convince the court to find in your favor.

There is rarely a true “joint” physical custody arrangement where both parents have equal time and so the determination of primary custody can severely affect the amount of time that you get to spend with the children. Adding to the consequences of custody are child support determinations, transportation costs, decision-making capacities, and even the ability to claim the children for the purposes of income taxes.

Here at Edwards, McLeod & Money we understand that your children are the most important parts of your life. We take the responsibility of getting you the most time with your children as possible very seriously. We also understand that most fathers frequently feel hopeless to obtain primary custody of their children. Our firm has a solid history of favorable custody decisions in favor of our clients, whether each client is the Mother or the Father. As the premier Douglasville child custody attorney, we will fight for you to have the time with your family that you deserve.

Links for the 7th Judicial District Divorcing Parents Seminar:

DPS Registration, Locations, and Schedule