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Page 1 of 1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING A PETITION FOR DIVORCE In Geo rgia, if you wan t to end your marriage, you m ust file a com plaint for divorce in the S uperior C ourt. You can either hire an attorney who will prepare your case and represent you in court, or you can use the sample forms included in this packet and represent yourself in court. After a court issues a final judgment and decr ee, you can rem arry. YOU MAY NEED AN ATTORNEY IF: The case is contes ted and your spouse has a lawyer. You cannot locate your spouse to serve him or her with your papers. You or your spouse has a house, pension, or large amount of property or income. Even if it is a friendly divorce, you should talk to a lawyer before you sign any settlem ent pape rs or file anything in court. You might lose custody of your children. You think you will have difficulty getting documents from your spouse about retirement funds, income, etc. HERE ARE INSTRUCTIONS TO PROCEED: A. Fill out the Complaint for Divorce. Be sure to check the paragraphs that apply to you. B. Sign the verification. This must be signed and notarized. C. Your petition must be served on your spouse. This can be done several ways, depending on your situation. 1. If your spouse consents, he or she can sign an acknowledgment of service. 2. The sheriff can serve your spouse. 3. If you do no t know w here your spous e is, he/she can be served by publica tion. When all of the paper work is completed, if the divorce is not contested and a settlement agreem ent has been signed by bo th parties, prepare a nd file a Motion for Ju dgm ent on the Pleading s. If all the pape r work is in order, this w ill enable the Judge to g rant the divo rce without you having to com e to Court. CHILD SUPPORT The law concerning calculation of Child support has changed on January 1, 2007. Instructions, works heets and form s can be obtaine d online at http://www.georgiacourts.org/csc/ You must provide the worksheets and proof of both parent’s income and expenses with your complaint