Gainesville Georgia Legal Blog

In Georgia and any other state, a noncustodial parent is responsible for helping to raise his or her child. The husband of the baby's mother is presumed to be the child's legal father. If the child's parents aren't married, paternity needs to be established before a person can be ordered to pay child support. In some cases, a father will voluntarily acknowledge his paternity. A DNA test can also be conducted to determine the identity of a child's father.

An individual can move to establish paternity even if the other parent lives in another state or country. This can be done at any point until the child turns 23. If paternity is established, it does not necessarily mean that the child assumes his or her father's last name. However, a father can take legal action to have the child's last name changed to match his own.

Student loan debts could put a serious strain on the marriages of some Georgia couples. A study by Student Loan Hero found that 13 percent of divorced borrowers said student loans caused the end of their relationship. Over a third said that student loan debt combined with other financial issues played a part. With the cost of college continuing to rise, millennials are taking on more and more debt on their education. The average debt is around $34,000, but some people owe more than $50,000.

Education debt is not the only area where millennials are struggling. Half will not make more than their parents, and more than 40 percent said that they were unable to buy a home because of debt. In another survey, over 40 percent of student loan borrowers said they fought about money with their partners. Almost 20 percent said it was OK to keep financial secrets from a partner, and nearly 25 percent said they had concealed their student loan debt from their partners.

Drafting and executing a will is only a small part of the estate planning process in Georgia. A will effectively serves the purpose of avoiding intestacy, which is the statutory process of disposing of estates that individuals leave behind without properly indicating their wishes; however, this is a legal instrument with many limitations.

Depending on its construction, a last will and testament may not be able to adequately address certain probate issues such as conflicts between heirs and relatives. Since probate cases are handled in public court, they can often turn embarrassing for families; in Georgia, the estate of James Brown, known as the "Godfather of Soul," is an example of a contested will that resulted in plenty of dirty laundry reported by the news media outlets. A solid estate plan, on the other hand, will keep things private by keeping the estate away from probate court.

The closest bonds of love and family ties are something an injured victim will need to fall back on after a serious motor vehicle collision. Facing serious injuries and an inability to return to work, the person who suffered injuries in the crash may require financial and even physical support during convalescence.

Car crashes can result in all kinds of serious medical issues, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Some people lose limbs, while others experience compound fractures that require surgery and immobilization during recovery. If someone you love suffered serious injuries in an accident, you may need to step up and provide care.