Uncontested Divorce in Johns Creek & North Atlanta
When both spouses can agree on the terms of the divorce, the process is faster, less expensive, and less adversarial than contested litigation. Tannen Law Group handles uncontested divorces for families in Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton, Cumming, Roswell, Suwanee, Duluth, and the surrounding Fulton, Gwinnett, and Forsyth Counties. We work on a flat-fee basis. The flat fee gives you the total cost before the engagement begins, so there is no hourly billing uncertainty during an already stressful time.
An uncontested divorce in Georgia requires that both spouses agree on every issue that needs to be resolved: property division, debt allocation, spousal support, child custody, parenting time, and child support. If you and your spouse can reach agreement on all of these, the case can move efficiently through Tannen Law Group’s nine-step uncontested process. If you disagree on even one issue, the case is contested, even when the disagreement is narrow.
Get a Flat-Fee Uncontested Divorce Done Right
Uncontested divorces at Tannen Law Group are handled with the same care and legal attention as contested cases. Attorney David Tannen has handled both since 2002 and makes sure nothing important is missed.
Free 30-minute consultation. No obligation. We respond within 2 hours during business hours.
Uncontested Divorce in the Atlanta Area: Quick Facts
- Definition: Both spouses agree on every term: property, debt, support, custody, parenting time.
- What is included: The attorney works through every term of the settlement agreement with you, drafts the complete agreement, prepares the final documents, and submits them to the court.
- Waiting period: Georgia requires a 31-day waiting period after filing before the court can grant the divorce.
- Court appearance: The final step depends on the county. Some counties accept a written motion; in Fulton County, there is usually a brief Zoom hearing of around 15 to 20 minutes.
- Attorney fees: Flat fee, $5,000 / $7,500 / $10,000 by tier (see pricing for which tier fits).
- Residency: At least one spouse must have lived in Georgia for 6 months before filing.
- Children: Cases involving minor children require an agreed parenting plan and a child support worksheet filed with the court.
- Representation: Only one party can be represented by our firm. The other spouse may hire their own lawyer or review and sign on their own.
The Tannen Law Group Uncontested Divorce Process
Tannen Law Group handles uncontested divorces through a nine-step process designed to resolve every term in advance, minimize future conflict, and submit everything to the court as one complete filing.
Step 1: Pay Retainer and Schedule Your First Appointment
Once you pay the initial retainer, we schedule your first appointment with Dave Tannen. At that meeting we confirm that uncontested divorce is appropriate for your situation and review what issues need to be resolved, including children, property, support, and debts.
Step 2: Strategy Meeting and Detailed Outline of Terms
In your first meeting, we go through all major terms that must be decided:
- Child custody and parenting time, if you have minor children.
- Child support and how it is calculated.
- Division of assets and debts, including the marital residence (who lives there, who pays expenses, sell versus refinance, timing) and retirement accounts such as 401(k) and IRA.
- Alimony, including whether it applies and, if so, how much and for how long.
We make sure we address details up front to minimize the chance of future conflict. The goal of this meeting is to create a clear, practical outline of your proposed settlement.
Step 3: Drafting the Settlement Outline (Proposal)
Next, we prepare a written outline or proposal instead of immediately drafting all final court documents. It typically includes:
- A bullet-point summary of all agreed terms.
- Proposed parenting terms, if there are children.
- Proposed division of assets and debts.
- A child support worksheet, if child support is applicable.
- Proposed alimony, if applicable.
This outline is what we first share with your spouse, or with your spouse’s attorney.
Step 4: Presenting the Proposal to Your Spouse
We then decide how to present the proposal in the least confrontational way. The attorney can send it directly to your spouse or their attorney, or you can give it to your spouse yourself if that is more comfortable. We set a clear deadline for a response so there is some structure and urgency to the process.
Step 5: Negotiation and Revisions (Still Uncontested)
Your spouse reviews the proposal and may agree to everything, or request reasonable changes. Common areas where changes are requested include parenting time details such as how weeks, holidays, and vacations are split; marital home details such as who stays in the home until it sells, who pays expenses, when the home will be sold or refinanced, and how the listing agent and sale terms are chosen; and asset issues, often around valuations or exactly how to split certain accounts.
In 80 to 90 percent of cases, there is one main round of changes. We adjust what is reasonable and move forward. The parties may go back and forth two to three times. If the other side keeps pushing for major changes beyond that, it usually means the case is no longer truly uncontested.
If your spouse will not agree or does not respond, the case may need to convert to a contested divorce.
Step 6: Drafting the Final Divorce Documents
Once you and your spouse have an agreement in principle, we prepare the full, formal divorce documents, which typically include:
- A Settlement Agreement, required for every divorce.
- If there are children, a Child Support Worksheet, a Child Support Addendum, and a Parenting Plan in the court’s required format, with modifications as needed.
- If there is a marital residence, a separate Marital Real Estate Agreement that sets out all terms specific to the house, including who lives there, who pays, and sale or refinance terms.
If a QDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order) is needed for retirement account division, the fact of the split is addressed in the Settlement Agreement. The QDRO itself is usually prepared after the divorce is finalized, under the court’s continuing authority, by a QDRO specialist.
Step 7: Review, Signatures, and Submission to the Court
Only one party can be represented by our firm. The other spouse may hire their own lawyer, or review and sign on their own. We send the final documents to your spouse, and their attorney if they have one, to verify everything matches what was agreed.
Once everyone is satisfied, both parties sign all documents, and we submit everything to the court at one time. In a true uncontested case, these are both the first documents filed and the last documents needed to complete the divorce.
Step 8: Court Review, Waiting Period, and Final Divorce
After filing, Georgia requires a waiting period of 31 days before the court can grant the divorce. After the waiting period, the exact procedure depends on the county.
In some counties, we submit a written motion asking the court to approve your Settlement Agreement and incorporate it into a Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce. In Fulton County, there is usually a brief Zoom hearing of around 15 to 20 minutes to finalize the divorce.
Once the judge signs the Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce, your uncontested divorce is complete.
Step 9: After the Divorce (House and Retirement Accounts)
Depending on your agreement, there may be post-divorce items to complete, such as following the Marital Real Estate Agreement to refinance or sell the home and distribute any sale proceeds as agreed, and preparing and entering any necessary QDROs to divide retirement accounts as ordered.
Find Out If You Qualify for Uncontested Divorce
An uncontested divorce requires agreement on every issue. If you and your spouse agree on custody, support, and property, we can finalize your divorce faster and at lower cost than contested representation.
(470) 560-7798 | Schedule online
No obligation. We will tell you honestly if uncontested is realistic for your case.
What Does the Flat Fee Cover?
Hourly billing during a divorce creates anxiety about every phone call, every email, every question you might want to ask. The flat-fee structure for uncontested matters at Tannen Law Group eliminates that uncertainty.
The flat fee covers the initial consultation, the strategy meeting and outline of terms, drafting the written proposal, presenting the proposal to your spouse, negotiation and revisions, drafting the final divorce documents, review and signatures, submission to the court, and the final motion or Zoom hearing through entry of the Final Judgment and Decree.
Additional costs that may be separate from the flat fee include court filing fees paid to the court and QDRO preparation when retirement accounts need to be divided. The QDRO itself is usually prepared after the divorce is finalized, under the court’s continuing authority, by a QDRO specialist.
The flat fee applies when both spouses agree on all terms. If disagreements arise during the process that require negotiation beyond what an uncontested case can resolve, and the case turns contested, we discuss the change in scope and billing with you before proceeding. No surprises.
Why Cheaper Uncontested Divorces Are Not the Same Service
Some Atlanta-area firms advertise uncontested divorces at prices well below ours. Before you compare on price alone, it is worth understanding what those cheaper services actually include. In many cases, the answer is that they are not the same service.
The cheaper model usually works like this. The firm provides you with the court’s standard forms, often the same forms the court publishes on its own website. You fill out the forms yourself, including the settlement agreement and parenting plan. The attorney files what you submit, attends the hearing if one is required, and the case is done. The attorney’s role is closer to a filing service than a legal representative. The price is lower because the legal work is lower.
The risk with that model is that the documents you sign in an uncontested divorce govern your rights and obligations for years after the case is over. Property division terms generally cannot be revisited. A vague parenting plan produces ongoing disputes. A settlement agreement that does not address retirement account division properly leaves the non-employee spouse without enforceable rights to those funds. A child support worksheet completed incorrectly produces an order that either overpays or underpays for years. The mistakes made in the cheap version often surface months or years later, and fixing them costs more than getting the agreement right the first time.
At Tannen Law Group, the flat fee covers actual legal work. We work through every term of the settlement agreement with you. We help you think through issues you may not have considered, including the marital residence (who lives there, who pays expenses, sell versus refinance, timing), retirement account treatment, alimony terms, and parenting plan details for school changes, holidays, and vacations. We draft custom language that fits your family’s actual situation. We complete the child support worksheet correctly and confirm the calculation. We make sure nothing important is missed before the case is filed.
The price difference between a fill-it-out-yourself filing service and what we do reflects the difference in service. We tell prospects this honestly during the consultation. If your situation is simple enough that a forms-and-filing service is genuinely appropriate, we will tell you that too. We do not sell representation people do not need. What we do not do is charge full-service prices for a fill-out-the-forms service.
Get an Honest Assessment of Your Case
(470) 560-7798 | Schedule online
Free 30-minute consultation. We tell you which approach fits your situation.
When Is Uncontested Divorce Not the Right Path?
Uncontested divorce works when both spouses are honest, cooperative, and informed. It is not appropriate in every situation.
If there is a significant power imbalance, where one spouse controls finances, information, or decisions while the other spouse agrees out of fear, exhaustion, or pressure, an uncontested divorce can produce an unfair outcome. Each spouse should understand the full marital estate and their realistic options before agreeing to terms.
If one spouse is hiding assets, underreporting income, or pressuring the other to accept unfavorable terms, the case needs the protections that contested representation provides, including formal discovery and judicial oversight.
If domestic violence is present, the dynamics of control and fear make voluntary agreement unreliable. Safety-related cases may require protective orders and contested proceedings to protect the vulnerable spouse and children.
If the marital estate includes complex assets such as businesses, stock-based compensation, significant retirement accounts, or real estate portfolios, even cooperative spouses benefit from professional valuation before agreeing to division terms. We can provide that analysis within the uncontested framework when appropriate.
Every client receives the same commitment to preparation, communication, and honest advice. The level of work, strategy, and resources devoted to a case is calibrated to its complexity and the issues involved. A case that involves a single home, two retirement accounts, and one child does not require the same structure as a case involving a closely held business, multiple properties, and complex custody arrangements. We have handled both and everything in between. The honest assessment in the consultation tells you which approach makes sense for you.
Why Settlement Agreement Drafting Matters
The settlement agreement is the document that governs your rights and obligations for years after the divorce is final. Property division terms generally cannot be revisited later. Custody and support can be modified only when circumstances materially change. The language in the agreement is what controls. Getting it right matters.
Common drafting failures we see in agreements drafted without an attorney include vague terms like “reasonable visitation” or “divide personal property fairly,” which produce predictable future disputes. Property splits that look fair on the surface but become unfair after tax consequences. Marital home terms that fail to address who stays, who pays, and when the home is sold or refinanced. QDRO provisions missing entirely or written so loosely that retirement account division becomes a future fight. Alimony language that is ambiguous about duration or modifiability.
At Tannen Law Group, we draft uncontested settlement agreements with the same drafting rigor we apply to contested cases. Specific language. Concrete provisions. Tax-aware property division. Workable parenting plans. The goal is a final decree that does what you and your spouse agreed it should do, without producing the enforcement disputes that poorly drafted agreements create.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an uncontested divorce cost in Georgia?
At Tannen Law Group, uncontested divorces are handled on a flat-fee basis. The fee is $5,000, $7,500, or $10,000 by tier, depending on case complexity, including whether there are minor children, significant assets, multiple properties, or retirement accounts requiring QDRO treatment. See pricing for which tier fits your situation, or get a specific estimate during your free consultation.
Why are some uncontested divorces in Atlanta cheaper than your flat fee?
The cheaper services usually offer a different product. The model typically involves giving you the court’s standard forms, having you fill them out yourself, and filing what you submit. The attorney functions closer to a filing service than a legal representative. The price is lower because the legal work is lower. At Tannen Law Group, the flat fee covers full attorney representation, including working through every term of the settlement agreement with you, drafting custom language for your situation, addressing marital home and QDRO issues, and making sure nothing important is missed before the case is filed. Different services, different prices. If your situation is simple enough that a forms-and-filing service is genuinely appropriate, we tell you that during the consultation.
How long does an uncontested divorce take in Georgia?
Georgia requires a 31-day waiting period after filing before the court can grant the divorce. After the waiting period, the exact procedure depends on the county. In some counties, we submit a written motion asking the court to approve the Settlement Agreement and incorporate it into a Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce. In Fulton County, there is usually a brief Zoom hearing of around 15 to 20 minutes to finalize the divorce.
Do I have to go to court for an uncontested divorce in Georgia?
It depends on the county. In some counties, we submit a written motion and no in-person hearing is required. In Fulton County, there is usually a brief Zoom hearing of around 15 to 20 minutes. The judge reviews the settlement agreement and signs the Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce. Call (470) 560-7798 to find out what to expect in your county.
Can an uncontested divorce become contested?
Yes. In 80 to 90 percent of cases, there is one main round of changes after the proposal is presented, and the parties move forward. The parties may go back and forth two to three times. If the other side keeps pushing for major changes beyond that, it usually means the case is no longer truly uncontested. If your spouse will not agree or does not respond at all, the case may need to convert to a contested divorce. If this happens, we discuss the change in scope, explain the contested process and costs, and adjust our approach with you before proceeding.
What if my spouse and I agree but do not have a written agreement yet?
That is exactly where we come in. Many couples agree in principle but need an attorney to translate their agreement into a legally binding settlement that covers all the required issues. We prepare a written outline first, including a bullet-point summary of all agreed terms, proposed parenting terms if there are children, proposed division of assets and debts, a child support worksheet if applicable, and proposed alimony if applicable. Once both spouses agree on the outline, we prepare the full, formal divorce documents.
Do both spouses need their own attorney for an uncontested divorce?
Only one party can be represented by our firm. The other spouse may hire their own lawyer or review and sign on their own. Independent counsel is not required, but we recommend it, especially when the settlement involves significant assets, support obligations, or detailed custody arrangements. An agreement signed with independent counsel on both sides is more difficult to challenge later if either spouse has second thoughts.
What happens if my spouse refuses to sign the settlement agreement?
The case may need to convert to a contested divorce. At that point, we discuss whether contested representation makes sense, what it will cost, and what the realistic outcomes look like for your situation. Sometimes the issue causing the refusal is small enough to resolve through one more round of negotiation. Sometimes the case needs to proceed as a contested matter. We help you decide which path fits your situation. Call (470) 560-7798 if you are facing this.
Our attorneys are here to provide clear answers. Contact us for a confidential consultation about your family law case.
Our attorneys are here to provide clear answers. Contact us for a confidential consultation about your family law case.
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End Your Marriage on Your Terms
An uncontested divorce gives you control over the outcome. Faster, less expensive, and less adversarial than contested litigation. If you and your spouse can agree on the terms, Tannen Law Group handles the full process, from initial consultation through entry of the Final Judgment and Decree.
Flat-fee pricing. No billing surprises. Honest assessment of whether uncontested is right for your case.
Call or text (470) 560-7798
Tannen Law Group | 6455 East Johns Crossing, Suite 425 | Johns Creek, Georgia 30097
Your Free Consultation Includes:
- Whether your case qualifies for uncontested divorce.
- A specific cost estimate based on your case complexity.
- What happens if your spouse changes their mind during the process.
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Not ready to call? Read: Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce in Georgia