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Divorce in Laurens County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help
Summary
Divorces in Laurens County are filed with the Laurens County Superior Court. The current filing fee isn’t posted online, so ask the clerk. Counties that post theirs charge $208 to $224.
- The clerk's office in the Laurens County Courthouse in Dublin is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and handles Superior, Juvenile and Magistrate Court cases. Legal notices run in The Dublin Courier Herald.1
- The Dublin Circuit's mediation program started in Laurens County in December 1994 and has served all four of the circuit's counties since November 1995. Its director can be reached at 478-272-4824.2
- Laurens, Johnson, Treutlen and Twiggs counties make up the Dublin Judicial Circuit, which has three Superior Court judges based in Dublin.3
Where to file
Laurens County Clerk of Superior Court
Laurens County Courthouse, 101 N. Jefferson Street
Dublin, GA 31021
Phone: 478-272-32101
Filing fee
The clerk doesn't post its divorce filing fee or sheriff service fee online, so call the clerk at 478-272-3210 before you file. For comparison, Georgia counties that post their fee charge between $208 and $224 to file a divorce. Compare counties.1
Parenting class
Georgia courts may require divorcing parents to attend a seminar of up to four hours. Laurens County's court pages don't list one, so ask the clerk whether it applies to your case.4
Mediation
Any contested divorce in the Dublin Circuit can be sent to mediation. The judge refers cases one at a time, after the program screens them, and cases with domestic violence allegations get a further screening. If your case is referred:
- You must attend at least one mediation session in good faith. You don't have to reach an agreement, but skipping it can lead to sanctions from the judge.
- If you pick a mediator from the program's list attached to the order, the program pays the mediator. You can instead hire any mediator registered with the state and negotiate the fee yourselves.
- If you don't tell the program which mediator you chose, it assigns one, and its coordinator contacts you or your lawyer to schedule.
A signed agreement from mediation is binding. If your lawyer wasn't at the session, the lawyer has three business days to review it and object.5
Court forms
The county's Superior Court page sends people without a lawyer to the Eighth Judicial Administrative District's forms and rules, which include divorce packets with and without minor children, contested and uncontested, plus a guide to which packet you need. Go to the forms.3
Also good to know
The mediation program suggests bringing whatever papers relate to your case, especially:
- Proof of income: pay stubs, W-2s and the last three years of tax returns.
- Values and statements for real estate, savings, retirement accounts, life insurance, vehicles and household items.
- Credit card statements and other debt balances.
- Health insurance details, and your child support worksheet with its supporting papers.
- Your thinking on custody, parenting time, transportation, communication and decision-making for the children.5
Free and low-cost help in Laurens County
- Women In Need of God's Shelter (WINGS). A state-certified family violence program in Dublin serving Laurens, Johnson, Wilkinson, Bleckley, Dodge, Wilcox and Telfair counties. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 478-272-5880.
Phone: 478-272-80006 - Georgia Legal Services Program. Free civil legal help, including family law, for people with low incomes in 154 of Georgia's 159 counties. Apply online or call the intake line.
Phone: 833-457-75297
If you need an interpreter
If you or a witness needs an interpreter, including sign language, tell the court in writing before the hearing, at least 5 days ahead where you can. The court then works to provide a licensed interpreter at its own expense.8
Laurens County Superior Court website
Sources
- ^ Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, Laurens County clerk directory entry: key points, address and phone and filing fees (gsccca.org)
- ^ Dublin Judicial Circuit ADR Program (eighthdistrict.org)
- ^ Laurens County, Superior Court: key points and court forms (laurenscoga.org)
- ^ Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.8, parenting seminars (gasupreme.us)
- ^ Dublin Judicial Circuit ADR Program, frequently asked questions: mediation and other court rules (eighthdistrict.org)
- ^ Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, state-certified family violence agencies (PDF) (cjcc.georgia.gov)
- ^ Georgia Legal Services Program, what we do (glsp.org)
- ^ Uniform Superior Court Rule 7.3, interpreters (gasupreme.us)
Court fees and rules change. Check with the clerk before you file. If something here looks out of date, email help@divorce.city.