Practice Group Leader: Jamie B. Hernan • (770) 650-7200 • jhernan@htlweb.com
Lead Paralegal: Luz S. Diaz-Porter • (770) 650-7200 • ldiaz@htlweb.com
Often, the decision to seek help from a family lawyer follows personal or family distress. During such emotionally intense times, it is often difficult to think clearly and make the right decisions—both for yourself and those whom you love. The results of a family law case will have long lasting effects for you and your family.
The attorneys and staff of Hernan Taylor & Lee are experienced at dealing with family law cases ranging from contested and uncontested divorces, child custody, child support, visitation of children, legitimation of children, adoptions, seeking and defending against protective orders, contempt proceedings, DFACS cases (when children are taken into state custody), amendments to birth records and more.
We fight hard for the best interests of our clients and Hernan Taylor & Lee will ALWAYS BE AT YOUR SIDE!
At Hernan Taylor & Lee, we take the time to listen to you and your story. Together, we will choose a legal strategy which will best achieve your goals for you and your loved ones. We provide you with solutions and seek to obtain results that exceed your expectations.
You don’t have to go through this alone. Call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a member of our staff.
Some examples of the types of family law cases handled by Hernan Taylor & Lee:
Uncontested and Contested Divorces
Going through a divorce is often one of the most difficult experience of any person’s lifetime. In some circumstances a married couple will determine that they no longer desire to be husband and wife, but they wish to remain friends and amicably split. If they can agree on the terms of their divorce, the couple can proceed with an uncontested divorce. This type of case is much easier, and less costly, and avoids most of the emotional drama and pain that comes from a bitter divorce battle.
Unfortunately, many couples seeking to divorce are not able to resolve their issues in a friendly way. The parties often disagree on the distribution of property, custody of children, child support issues, alimony and more. In such a case, a contested divorce, the parties will generally both be represented by an attorney. It is important to have an attorney who will fight hard for your best interests and who will always be at your side. The attorneys and staff of Hernan Taylor & Lee recognize the extreme importance and ramifications of divorce cases and will provide you with a zealous advocate who will seek to obtain a result that exceeds your expectations.
In some cases, a couple may have split long before one side decides to file for divorce. Often, the couple is no longer in contact with one another and a divorce by publication must be filed. This type of divorce is required when the whereabouts of the other side is unknown and, after a diligent effort, they cannot be located to notify them of the divorce proceeding. A judge can grant a divorce in such cases after careful efforts are made to protect the interests of both sides.
Petitions for Child Custody, Visitation, Support and/or Child Legitimation
In some cases, two parents are able to work out an arrangement regarding the custody and other issues regarding their children after they split. If not, it is often necessary for one side to seek a declaration from a judge regarding which parent should have primary custody (legal and/or physical) of the children, how much money the non-custodial parent should pay in child support, and how often the non-custodial parent may visit his or her children. In the event that the couple was not married at the time of the child’s birth and/or the father is not listed on the child’s birth certificate, the father may be required to seek (or contest) the legitimation of the child, which is an official decision indicating that the father is the parent of the child.
Hernan Taylor & Lee advocates for both custodial and non-custodial parents, seeking to protect their rights as parents and to ensure that they best interests are met. For custodial parents, we work hard to make sure that non-custodial parents are required to live up to their obligations and support the financial and emotional needs of the children. For non-custodial parents, Hernan Taylor & Lee strives to make sure that our client is able to maintain the parental connection with his or her child while ensuring that the custodial parents lives up to their obligations and takes appropriate care of the children.
DFACS cases
The Division of Family and Children Services in the State of Georgia is part of the Department of Human Resources. This agency is responsible, in part, for protecting neglected and abandoned children, and those children needing protection by the State from their custodians. Unfortunately, this agency often gets it wrong and removes children from the homes of people based on an incorrect assesment that the children are in need of protection. This is particularly true for parents who are immigrants or poor. Hernan Taylor & Lee handles cases involving claims made against parents of deprivation of their children. Our firm also represents juveniles in cases filed by DFACS and handled in juvenile court. These cases can be very difficult and emotional. In some cases, DFACS seeks to terminate parental rights in the case. It is very important to have an attorney representing you when DFACS has filed a case against you or taken your children into protective custody.
Contempt Proceedings
Even after a court has ordered the parties in a family law case to do certain things, it often becomes necessary to return to court when one side fails to live up to their obligations. Often, in the context of family law cases, motions for contempt are filed when a non-custodial parent fails to pay child support or when a custodial parent fails to make a child available for visitation with the non-custodial parent. When the dispute cannot be resolved outside of court, the party seeking the court’s help will file a motion and a judge can issue an order compelling the other side to meet their obligations. If the party still refuses to comply, they could be found in contempt of court and could, in some circumstances, be sent to jail. Hernan Taylor & Lee has extensive experience filing all types of contempt proceedings on behalf of our clients, as well as defending against contempt filings for our clients.
Protective Orders
Courts have the power to issue protective orders as a mechanism to protect an individual from another person who has made an immediate threat to the personal safety of the individual seeking the order. A protective order will restrict the offending person from having contact with the person who was threatened. If the order is violated, the offending person could be charged with aggravated stalking, a charge for which bond is often unavailable. Our attorneys and staff can assist victims of domestic violence, and those who have been threatened, with seeking protection from the courts. We can advise you of your options and guide you through the process. We also are experienced representing individuals who have been wrongfully accused of threatening another person and who wish to fight or limit protective orders sought by others.
Adoptions
When an individual, or couple, seek to adopt a child they must go through a lengthy and complicated process to obtain a court order terminating the parental rights of the child’s biological parents and declaring the adopting individual, or couple, as the true parents of the child. Hernan Taylor & Lee can guide you through the legal steps of this process. When the adoption involves unrelated indivduals, it is often necessary to utilize the services of a licensed adoption agency to handle the non-law related issues involved with an adoption.
International Child Abductions
Hernan Taylor & Lee has extensive experience seeking the safe return of children abducted from another country and brought to the United States without the consent of our client. Our firm has been recognized by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for our work in this area and often handle cases referred by that organization. These types of cases are time sensitive and involve many complicated, international issues. It is important to seek an attorney with experience when dealing with the international abduction of a child. Hernan Taylor & Lee can guide you through the process and will Always Be at Your Side!
