Athens GA Child Custody Lawyer

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Child Custody Help in Athens, GA

Child custody decisions shape your child’s daily life, so they deserve careful attention. As an Athens child custody lawyer, Samuel E. Thomas handles custody issues in divorces, in cases between parents who never married, and in later modifications. He represents both mothers and fathers in Athens and across Northeast Georgia.

Every case starts with the facts. First, Attorney Thomas learns how each parent has been involved in the child’s life. Then he builds a plan that keeps your child’s best interests at the center, whether that means negotiating a parenting plan or presenting your case in court.

How Georgia Courts Decide Custody

Georgia law gives neither parent an automatic preference. Instead, the judge decides custody based on the child’s best interests. The court can look at many factors, such as each parent’s bond with the child, the stability of each home, and each parent’s ability to meet the child’s needs. In addition, a child who is 14 or older can choose which parent to live with, although the judge can set that choice aside if it is not in the child’s best interests. The judge may also consider the wishes of a child who is 11 to 13.

Every custody case also needs a parenting plan. The plan sets out where the child will live, the holiday schedule, and how the parents will make decisions. Our Georgia parenting plan guide explains what goes into one.

Legal Custody

Legal custody is the right to make major decisions about the child’s health, education, and religious upbringing. Most parents share joint legal custody, which means they make these decisions together. However, when shared decision-making is not in the child’s best interests, the court can give one parent sole legal custody or final say over certain decisions.

Physical Custody

Physical custody decides where the child lives. Often one parent has primary physical custody, and the other has parenting time under a set schedule. In other cases, the parents share joint physical custody, and the child spends substantial time in both homes. Work schedules, school, and the distance between homes all affect what works best.

Georgia’s custody statutes are in Title 19, Chapter 9 of the Georgia Code.

Work With an Athens Child Custody Lawyer

Custody orders can change as children grow. If circumstances have changed since your order was entered, you can ask the court to modify custody. Generally, the parent asking for the change must show a material change in circumstances that affects the child. Attorney Thomas can review your current order, even if another lawyer handled your original case, and explain your options.

Whether you are seeking primary custody or a fair shared schedule, he will help you present a plan that puts your child first.

How Custody Affects Child Support

Georgia calculates child support with an income-shares model. In other words, the court combines both parents’ gross incomes, finds the basic support amount, and divides it based on each parent’s share. The amount can then be adjusted for parenting time, health insurance, child care, and other factors. The Georgia courts publish the official child support calculator.

If you are asking the court to set custody or change an existing order, contact Samuel Thomas Law in Athens at 706-546-0999.