Should I Request A Jury In My Georgia Divorce Case?

Should I Request a Jury in My Georgia Divorce Case
When it comes to choosing who will help you and your soon-to-be former spouse divide up your marital assets and determine your child support amounts, you have several choices. You can either let the judge decide, choose an arbitrator, or, if you live in Georgia, have a jury make that decision for you.
The benefits of a jury trial are myriad, and simple to set up, as long as you have a good legal team, like Buckhead Family Law, on your side. If you’re thinking about choosing a jury trial, you’ll need to be prepared for a number of different things.
What Can Be Determined by a Jury?
According to Georgia divorce law, a jury can determine several things. They include:
- Marital Asset Division – The division of the marital assets can be tricky, particularly if one spouse paid more into them than the other, for any reason. A jury can help you fairly divide up your house, vehicles, bank accounts, and other things owned by the divorcing spouses.
- Marital Debt Division – Just like marital assets, a jury can divide up the marital debts. Everything from a mortgage to car loans, and even credit card debts can be split between the spouses in a divorce case. The jury will look at the evidence and make their decisions.
- Child Support – Usually, one spouse, the one who receives primary custody of the children, receives child support from the other spouse. In Georgia, the jury can decide certain factors regarding child support.
- Alimony – In addition to child support, alimony is another payment amount that the jury will deliberate on. They can choose to award alimony to one spouse and also decide how much that person will receive for a certain period of time.
What Can’t a Jury Determine?
While jury can decide on a great many things in a divorce proceeding, there is one important division that they do not have the power to determine – child custody. Instead, a judge will be the one deciding which parent has primary custody and which does not, or if the parents will split their time with the children 50/50.
How Does a Divorce Trial Work?
A divorce trial is run very similarly to a standard trial. The jurors will be chosen and seated, and then the judge will have both sides, representing both spouses in this case, present their evidence and arguments. Once both sides are done, the jury will decide on how the marital assets and debts are divided up, as well as how much child support and alimony will be awarded. This method is very useful should the spouses be unable to come up with an agreement on their own.
Want a Divorce Lawyer to Ensure Your Jury Trial Will Go Smoothly?
A divorce is always a delicate time as the spouses divide up martial assets and determine child custody and support amounts. When one spouse requests a jury trial in order to help with this process, it’s important to have a legal team on your side, representing your best interests.
At Buckhead Family Law, our legal team works diligently to meet the needs of clients getting divorced in today’s tech driven world – this means taking everything online into consideration. What’s one thing that hasn’t changed about divorce? It is still one of the most harrowing experiences someone can go through, and we understand that. That is why we always treat our clients with grace and compassion.
Need help? We are here to assist you as you begin the next chapter of your life while ensuring that all of the loose ends are tied up in the least complicated way. Schedule a consultation today by calling at 404-390-0000.