Areas of Practice
We Cover many Areas of Practice at The Alexander Firm. Our team is dedicated to guiding you through complex legal issues with compassion and expertise. From family law matters like divorce and child custody to other essential legal services, we provide personalized representation tailored to your needs. Explore our areas of practice and discover how The Alexander Firm can help secure a positive outcome in your case.
Divorce
At The Alexander Firm, we understand that divorce is challenging and draining in every way—emotionally, mentally, and physically. We work hard to shoulder much of the burden for you so that you can focus on rebuilding your life.
Uncontested Divorce
In an uncontested divorce, both parties have worked together to determine how they will divide marital assets, marital debt, custody of the children (if any), and child support. For the divorce to be uncontested, all issues must be resolved. The Alexander Firm will help you draft the Petition for Divorce, corresponding initial filing documents, and all settlement documents to present to the court. Some judges require you to appear in court for a Final Hearing to finalize your divorce. If this happens in your case, an attorney will accompany you to court and present your settlement to the judge.
Contested Divorce
In a contested divorce, the parties have not agreed upon all issues. Here, The Alexander Firm will guide you through the steps of a contested divorce and support you every step of the way. You need someone who will stand firm and fight for you and all that you hold dear. We will work tirelessly to protect what is most important to you: your children, your money, and your peace of mind. If your divorce is contested, let the experienced attorneys at The Alexander Firm fight for you!
Prenuptial Agreements
A Prenuptial Agreement is an agreement entered into by the parties before the marriage. It outlines how the parties will divide their marital assets should the unthinkable happen, and the marriage must be dissolved. At The Alexander Firm, we want to protect you and your current and future assets before you walk down the aisle. We aim to help position you for a life prepared for whatever challenges may come your way by ensuring that your future is secure. We do this by working with you to create a Prenuptial Agreement that safeguards everything you will create, earn, and cherish during your marriage. We encourage our clients to be proactive rather than reactive about their futures by ensuring their assets are protected before they even say “I do.”
Child Custody
Legal Custody
Legal custody determines who makes the final decisions about significant aspects of the child’s life, including education, healthcare, extracurricular activities, and religious training. The judge may designate one parent to have sole decision-making power in certain areas while both parents retain equal rights and responsibilities for other decisions.
Physical Custody
Physical custody determines who the child lives with most of the time. When determining child custody, the courts use the “best interest of the child” standard. The judge will consider various factors to determine what is in the child’s best interest.
Children are often the center of their parents’ world. Nothing is more fiercely fought for than one’s children. At The Alexander Firm, we know how important your children are to you, and we will go to war to help you protect them and their best interests. We work diligently to uphold your right to parent, protect, and preserve the bond between you and your child. Our experienced attorneys are here to help you secure custody and parenting time with your child. Let us fight for you!
Grandparents' Rights
Grandparents have rights too! Are you unable to see and visit your grandchildren? In the State of Georgia, grandparents have the right to request court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren. Grandparents can also intervene in divorce, child custody, or termination of parental rights cases. If you are a grandparent who wants to see your grandchildren, The Alexander Firm can help!
Child Support
Paternity Actions
Paternity actions are filed on behalf of the minor child. Once paternity is established, the court will order the father to pay child support if he is the non-custodial parent. In divorce and legitimation cases involving minor children, child support must be determined. The non-custodial parent is often required to pay child support to the custodial parent for the benefit of the minor child or children.
How Child Support is Determined
Georgia is a percentage-of-income state. This means that child support is determined by a percentage of the parties’ combined gross incomes (before taxes) and the number of children the non-custodial parent currently supports. Additional factors and deviations may be considered when calculating support as well.
At The Alexander Firm, we are extremely knowledgeable and experienced in the Child Support Guidelines and how they may or may not apply to you. We will work with you to ensure that all necessary evidence is presented so that the child support you pay or receive is accurate and that your child receives the support they need and are entitled to.
Legitimation
Legitimation is the legal process that gives a father rights to a child born out of wedlock (when the parents were not married at the child’s birth). There are two parts to legitimation: first, establishing that the father is, in fact, the biological father of the child; second, demonstrating to the court that the father has been sufficiently involved in the child’s life to justify granting him legal rights to the child. When a child is born out of wedlock, the mother is the child’s only legal parent until the father is legitimated. It’s important to note that a father can still be ordered to pay child support for the child even if he is not legitimated and has no legal claim to the child.
Fathers of children born out of wedlock should file for legitimation as soon as possible after the child’s birth to ensure they have custodial rights in the child’s early years. If a father delays filing for legitimation too long, a court may find that he abandoned his opportunity interests and deny his request to legitimate the child. As with child custody cases, the “best interest of the child” standard applies to legitimations, so the court will decide whether it is in the child’s best interest to legitimate the father. If you are a father seeking to legitimate your child, The Alexander Firm can help.
A mother can consent to or object to the legitimation. If the mother consents, the court will enter an order recognizing the father as the legitimate father of the child and granting him custodial and visitation rights. If the mother objects to the legitimation and the court finds that it is not in the child’s best interest to be legitimated, the court will deny the father’s Petition for Legitimation. If you are a mother who objects to the father of your child being legitimated, give us a call—we can help!
Protective Orders
Are you the victim of domestic violence, family violence, or stalking? Are you fearful for your safety or the safety of your children? Let The Alexander Firm help you gain peace of mind with a Protective Order that prevents your abuser or stalker from contacting you or coming near you and your children. We will assist you in filing the Petition for a Temporary Protective Order and zealously represent you in court within 30 days at your hearing for a Permanent Protective Order that will last for twelve (12) months. At The Alexander Firm, we take domestic violence and stalking seriously and are unwavering in our commitment to helping our clients protect themselves and their families.
Contempt
Contempt occurs when someone willfully violates a court order by doing something the order prohibits or by failing to do something the order requires. Contempt is punishable in various ways, the harshest being incarceration. If your divorce, custody, or child support case has concluded and the other party is not complying with the court order, they are in contempt. The experienced attorneys at The Alexander Firm are ready to assist you in returning to court and holding your ex accountable for violating the court’s order.
Modification of Custody and/or Child Support
The divorce and custody process can be long and difficult. Once you have obtained a Final Decree of Divorce or a Final Order of Custody or Support, you likely hoped never to see the inside of a courtroom again. But the only constant in life is change. When there is a substantial change in circumstances—such as you or your ex moving too far away to maintain the current parenting schedule, losing your job and being unable to afford the child support initially ordered, or the other party receiving a significant raise and now being able to contribute more—the dedicated attorneys at The Alexander Firm will help you modify your previous order to better suit your current needs and those of your children.
Guardian ad Litem
A Guardian ad Litem (GAL) is an investigator for the court, responsible for making recommendations regarding what is in the child’s best interest in matters of custody, parenting time, and other issues. Judges appoint only the most trusted and skilled attorneys as Guardians ad Litem. Attorney Brandy Alexander has the unique distinction of being both a Family Law attorney and a Guardian ad Litem. She was honored as Fulton County’s Guardian ad Litem of the Year by the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation in 2016. Having an experienced Guardian ad Litem at The Alexander Firm equips us to assist our clients who have been assigned a Guardian ad Litem by helping them navigate the process and present their case in a direct, concise, and effective manner, aiming to secure custody and parenting time consistent with the child’s best interest.
Adoption
Adoption can be a long journey filled with excitement, optimism, and fear. Adding a child to your family is one of the most rewarding experiences. It is thrilling and full of hope and dreams for the future, but it can also be terrifying. The “what ifs” can be overwhelming. The members of The Alexander Firm are dedicated to helping you grow your family through adoption. We move quickly and efficiently to finalize your adoption so you can start your new life. Let The Alexander Firm help you finalize your adoption and begin your wonderful new chapter!