Child Custody Attorney in Fayetteville, GA

Protect your parental rights and your child’s best interests with experienced legal guidance through every stage of your custody case.

Trusted Child Custody Lawyer Serving Fayetteville Since 1993

When a marriage ends or parents separate, the question of where a child will live matters more than any other issue in the case. A child custody lawyer who knows the local court, the local judges, and Georgia’s custody law can make the difference between a workable arrangement and years of ongoing conflict.

Thomas F. Tierney has handled child custody matters here since 1993, appearing regularly before the judges of the Fayette County Superior Court, now located on One Center Drive. That long track record in front of the same bench offers a clear-eyed read on how a judge is likely to view the evidence in a case. This is a level of experience a law firm new to the Fayetteville hasn’t yet had the time to build.

Child Custody Services We Handle

Legal and Physical Custody in Georgia
Legal custody covers decision-making authority over education, medical care, and religious upbringing, while physical custody determines where the child primarily lives. A parenting plan can divide these differently between parents based on what fits the family.
Child Custody Agreements and Parenting Plans
A workable parenting plan sets out a real schedule, built around actual work hours and school commitments, rather than a generic template pulled from an unrelated case.
Contested Custody Cases
When parents disagree, a child custody lawyer gathers evidence about stability, involvement and safety, and presents it clearly to the deciding judge.
Custody Modifications
An existing order may need to be modified if a parent’s relocation, income, schedule or home situation changes in a way that truly affects the child.
Emergency Custody Orders
When a child faces immediate danger, Georgia courts can grant emergency relief before a full hearing.

How Georgia Courts Decide Child Custody

Georgia law directs judges to decide custody based on the best interests of the child, weighing factors that include each parent’s bond with the child, stability, involvement in school and activities, and any history of family violence or substance abuse. No parent starts with an advantage; the court builds its decision from the specific facts of your family.

Child Custody Modification in Fayetteville, GA

Life changes, and custody orders sometimes need to change with it. A local child custody lawyer reviews whether a proposed change, such as a new job, a move, or a shift in the other parent’s home life, constitutes a material change in circumstances that a court will consider.
tom tierney

Meet Your Fayetteville Child Custody Attorney

Thomas F. Tierney has spent more than three decades representing Fayette County families, building a practice on personal attention rather than high-volume advertising. Clients work directly with their attorney from the first consultation through the final order, with flexible scheduling and a free initial phone consultation available.

Frequently Asked Questions – Child Custody in Fayetteville, GA

At what age can a child choose which parent to live with in Georgia?
At fourteen, a child has the right to select which parent to live with, and that choice is presumptive unless the selected parent is found unfit. Between ages eleven and thirteen, a judge may consider the child’s preference without being bound by it.
An uncontested matter can resolve in a few months, while a contested case involving significant disputes takes longer to work through discovery and, if needed, trial.
Yes, a parent can request a modification when there has been a material change in circumstances since the last order was entered.
A parenting plan is the document that sets out each parent’s custody rights, the visitation schedule, and how major decisions about the child will be made.

No. Georgia law applies the same best-interest standard to both parents regardless of gender.