Tools for Atlanta Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Atlanta families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

Custody cases in Atlanta move through the Fulton County Superior Court, Family Division, and many of the parents in them handle at least part of the case without a lawyer. For guardians ad litem, family therapists, and mediators, that usually means sorting fact from feeling before any real work can start. This page shows what the parents you work with can use on FamilyCourtHelp.com to come to you organized.

Area covered: Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton Counties.

Court for custody cases: Fulton County Superior Court, Family Division.

Appointed for the child: Guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Depends on the county or judge (court-connected ADR programs).

State family law: Georgia Code Title 19 - Domestic Relations.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For guardians ad litem in Atlanta

In Georgia, the court can appoint a guardian ad litem in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

The parents decide what you see. One of them can add you to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link, and once you accept with a free account you can read the thread, post in it, and follow schedule requests on the shared calendar. A shared parenting plan opens to you for reading and comments.

For therapists and counselors in Atlanta

For court-involved therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Atlanta, the site stays on the parents' side of the line: there is no therapist seat and no access to a family's account. What it changes is what walks into the room. Parents write to each other in one time-stamped thread, and the Tone Meter in the free messenger offers a calmer version of a message before it goes out.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Atlanta

In Georgia, custody mediation is set county by county. The details are in the FAQ below.

A parent can invite you into the co-parent conversation with a single-use link and share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on, so you see the draft and the open issues before the first session in Atlanta. Between sessions, agreements stay in writing in the one thread, and schedule changes go through the shared calendar as requests the other parent approves or declines.

Family court in Atlanta: what to know

Custody cases in Atlanta are heard in the Fulton County Superior Court, Family Division. The wider area takes in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties, and a case is heard by the court for the county where it is filed.

If you searched for a guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Atlanta, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Atlanta: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Fulton: Justice Resource Center, (404) 612-2789. Walk-in center at the Fulton courthouse with free help, forms and short consults for people without a lawyer.

Fulton legal aid: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, (404) 524-5811.

DeKalb: Georgia Courts Self-Help Resources. Georgia court system's hub of self-help guides, forms and law library links for people handling their own case.

DeKalb legal aid: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, (404) 524-5811.

Cobb: Cobb County Law Library, (770) 528-1884. County law library open to self-represented Cobb residents for legal research and court forms.

Cobb legal aid: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, (404) 524-5811.

Gwinnett: Homer M. Stark Law Library, (770) 822-8575. County law library serving self-represented Gwinnett residents with legal research and court information.

Gwinnett legal aid: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, (404) 524-5811.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Atlanta?

The Family Division of the Fulton County Superior Court hears divorce, custody, visitation and child support cases for Fulton County, including most of Atlanta. DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton each have their own superior court.

Where can parents in Atlanta get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer includes Justice Resource Center, Georgia Courts Self-Help Resources, Cobb County Law Library and Homer M. Stark Law Library. Free legal aid: Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Atlanta?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does a guardian ad litem do in an Atlanta custody case?

In Georgia divorce and custody cases, the superior court judge can appoint a guardian ad litem to look into the family's situation and help the court decide what is best for the child. You may also see "GAL". The rule is in Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.9. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Georgia?

Georgia's superior courts run their own mediation programs, judicial circuit by circuit, under statewide rules of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Many circuits require parents in contested custody cases to try mediation before a final hearing, with separate rules when domestic violence is alleged.