Canton Legal Blog

Father denied new custody trial after high-profile divorce

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in child custody on Friday, March 22, 2019.

Parenting is already hard enough when a couple can agree on how to guide a child's development in tune with their own relationship. But things can get far more difficult and far more litigious when parents disagree or separate into different homes and lifestyles. Children may find themselves conflicted after adults make decisions that affect them deeply.

As a result, family courts in Georgia take the child's best interests into full account when they are deciding who gets custody of a child after a separation or divorce. There are arrangements allowing parents joint custody of a child, but they must work out their differences on fundamental issues like education, spiritual training and health care.

Judge weighs transfer of case of Georgia teen to juvenile court

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in violent crimes on Friday, March 15, 2019.

A Georgia judge is weighing a request to remove the criminal case involving a 16-year-old from Superior Court and move it to Juvenile Court.

In February, the teenager was acquitted in Superior Court of a felony charge that could have sent him to prison for life. Instead, he was convicted of two battery counts, which carry a maximum prison term of five years each.

Nurse charged with forging prescriptions for opioids

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in felonies on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

A nurse in Cobb County, Georgia, is facing felony charges for forging prescriptions.

The 47-year-old woman has been charged with 93 felonies and is alleged to have written prescriptions for opioid painkillers on prescription pads she stole from a medical office where she once worked.

Mistakes that can derail your divorce

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC on Monday, March 4, 2019.

Generally, when most people marry, they do not have divorce in mind at the moment they say "I do." However, divorce is very common in Canton and throughout the rest of the country. Like with most tasks, there is a right way to divorce and a wrong way. For example, posting on social media about a big raise you are getting, the lavish vacation you took or simply trashing your soon-to-be ex-spouse can cost you big time when you sit down at the negotiation table.

Not only can oversharing on social media cost you, but there are various other things that can hurt you in the divorce process. Here are a few mistakes that might derail your divorce.

Does divorce harm your children?

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in divorce on Friday, March 1, 2019.

One of the biggest things parents worry about when considering divorce is whether or not it is going to harm their kids. In some cases, parents in an unhappy or even abusive marriage stay together specifically because they don't want to risk it.

But is there any basis for this decision? Does a divorce actually harm your kids in some irreparable way?

Homicide charges are serious, no matter what their official name

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in violent crimes on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

When we read about homicide trials in the newspaper, we often will read sentences like this one:

"The judge told the jurors they could consider murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter in their deliberations."

Learning how to deal with the emotions of divorce

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in divorce on Friday, February 15, 2019.

Going through a divorce can be stressful, scary and even debilitating for some. Many will want to crawl up in bed and avoid family and friends for as long as possible. Others will immerse themselves in new hobbies, habits and even try to learn something new. One of the most difficult parts of a divorce is dealing with the emotions, which is why we have compiled a list of tips in this post.

First and foremost, you need to accept the emotional support offered by your family and friends. Don't shut them out of your life. If they are willing to be a sounding board, take advantage of it and express your feelings about what it is you are going through right now.

Is a custody modification in your children's best interest?

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in child custody on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

At the time that a Georgia court finalized your child custody agreement, it seemed to be the proper determination. Now, months later, you find it is not working.

Maybe you don't think your children are getting the care they need when they are with your ex, with whom you share custody. They complain to you about being left to fend for themselves while their parent was with their new significant other. It wasn't the first time you'd heard that complaint, either. It's become an occurrence every week, and they don't want to spend time there anymore.

Have you been charged under Georgia's '3 strikes' law?

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in felonies on Friday, February 1, 2019.

There's a criminal law in Georgia that takes after the game of baseball. It's called the "three strikes legislation." Georgia isn't the only state to have a law like this on the books. Three strikes legislation relates to sentencing for violent felony crimes. Essentially, it works like this: If a criminal defendant has two prior convictions for violent felonies, a third violent felony conviction will result in a lifetime sentence to prison.

Lawmakers can achieve great success while campaigning for office with the promise of putting three strikes laws in place. Often the voting public sees this legislation as a clearcut and easy solution to a crime problem. However, implementing a three strikes law like this might not be clearcut or easy to do at all.

Forensic science isn't delivering just results in the courts

On behalf of Burns Law Group, PC posted in criminal defense on Friday, January 25, 2019.

Since most people in the United States get their idea of how forensics are used through television dramas, it's small wonder that many assume forensic analysis is always pure science, totally above-board and infallibly correct.

In reality, it's far from any of those things. Forensic science includes fingerprint analysis, DNA evidence, drug testing, blood alcohol content (BAC), bite-mark evidence, hair strand analysis and other types of evidence routinely used in court as "proof" of someone's guilt or innocence. It all relies on a combination of science and analysis. The science part is often shaky, at best. It's far from exact and may rely on machinery that gives suspect results. The analysis is often colored by the so-called expert's own biases or aspirations.