10 Best Family Law Attorneys in Ellijay, GA

This guide covers 10 family law attorneys and firms serving Ellijay, East Ellijay, and Gilmer County, along with nearby practices in Jasper, Blue Ridge, Blairsville, and Dalton that regularly handle North Georgia family cases. We evaluated each on its experience with Georgia divorce, custody, child support, legitimation, and adoption cases, how regularly its attorneys appear in the Superior Courts of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit (Gilmer, Pickens, and Fannin Counties), relevant background such as child support agency or guardian ad litem work, peer and client recognition, and whether family law is the firm’s main focus or one of several practice areas.

When comparing options, ask three practical questions. First, does the attorney regularly appear before the Appalachian Circuit judges who will hear your case, and do they know the local requirements for parenting seminars and mediation? Second, does your case involve something that calls for specific experience, such as a contested custody fight, a legitimation action for an unmarried father, a DFCS matter, or division of a family business or land? Third, does the attorney favor negotiated settlements, courtroom litigation, or both, and how are fees structured? This list is not ranked and not sponsored.

Firm details come from each firm’s own website, cross-checked against attorney directories including Justia, Avvo, Super Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell.

1. Sevcech Law

• Attorney/Key Figure: Sarah Sevcech, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 294 S. Main St., Ellijay, GA 30540
• Phone: (706) 276-4040
• Website: sevcechlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law (Divorce, Child Custody and Custody Modification, Child Support, Adoption, Legitimation, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements, Protective Orders, Domestic Violence), Criminal Defense (DUI, Drug Crimes, Theft, Assault, Juvenile Crimes), Personal Injury
• Firm Size: Ellijay-based boutique; founding attorney recognized by Super Lawyers (2026)

About the Firm: Sarah Sevcech founded her firm on South Main Street in downtown Ellijay and built its practice around family law for North Georgia families. The firm handles divorce, custody and custody modifications, child support, legitimation and paternity, adoption, prenuptial agreements, and protective orders in Gilmer, Pickens, Fannin, Union, Dawson, and Lumpkin Counties. Sevcech has been recognized by Super Lawyers for 2026.

The firm’s “Mountain Strength, Local Trust” approach emphasizes personal attention, with a small team that clients get to know by name. Its adoption work stands out: one client credits the firm with finalizing a nine-year adoption case within months. Because Sevcech also handles criminal defense, including DUI and juvenile matters, the firm can manage family cases that overlap with a protective order, a criminal charge, or a juvenile court proceeding without sending clients to a second lawyer.

2. Kayann Hayden West, Attorney at Law, P.C.

• Attorney/Key Figure: Kayann Hayden West, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 79 S. Main St., Ellijay, GA 30540
• Phone: (706) 431-5527
• Website: kayannhaydenwest.com
• Practice Areas: Divorce (Contested and Uncontested), Child Custody and Support, Property and Debt Division, Alimony, Real Estate, Wills, Trusts, and Probate
• Firm Size: Solo practice founded in Ellijay in 2010; nearly 20 years of legal experience

About the Firm: Kayann Hayden West has practiced law for nearly 20 years and opened her Ellijay office in 2010, representing clients in Gilmer, Pickens, and Fannin Counties. Her family law work covers contested and uncontested divorce, custody, child support, alimony, and division of property and debt, and she personally guides each case from start to finish.

Her practice emphasizes facilitating productive conversations to reach amicable resolutions, which fits many Gilmer County divorces where parents will keep co-parenting in a small community. Her real estate and estate planning practice is useful when a divorce involves dividing land or a home, or when clients need to update wills and trusts afterward. As a solo practitioner, she has no associates to cover multiple hearings at once.

3. Teague Law

• Attorney/Key Figure: Josh Teague, Founding Attorney; Eli Francis, Attorney
• Headquarters: 57 1st Ave. East, Ellijay, GA 30540
• Phone: (706) 276-3636
• Website: teaguelaw.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law (Divorce, Adoption, Child Custody, Guardianship, Child Support Modifications, Legitimation, DFCS Removals, Contempt Actions), Personal Injury, Criminal Defense (DUI)
• Firm Size: Two-attorney Ellijay firm with paralegal and case management staff

About the Firm: Teague Law is an Ellijay firm led by Josh Teague, a Super Lawyers-listed attorney, with attorney Eli Francis and a paralegal and case management team. Its family law practice handles divorce, custody, child support modifications, legitimation, guardianship, adoption, and contempt actions for clients across Gilmer, Pickens, Fannin, Dawson, and nearby counties.

The firm is one of the few on this list that specifically handles DFCS removal cases, where the state has taken custody of a child, a situation that moves quickly through juvenile court and requires immediate representation. It offers Spanish-language service. Its practice is split among personal injury, criminal defense, and family law, so family cases are one part of a broader caseload.

4. Nancy Cochran Maddox, Attorney at Law, P.C.

• Attorney/Key Figure: Nancy Cochran Maddox, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 489 Highland Crossing, Suite 202, East Ellijay, GA 30540
• Phone: (706) 276-3707
• Website: nancymaddox.com
• Practice Areas: Divorce and Family Law
• Firm Size: Small practice; founding attorney has 27 years of experience

About the Firm: Nancy Cochran Maddox has practiced for 27 years and runs a family law practice from Highland Crossing in East Ellijay, serving Gilmer County and the surrounding Appalachian Circuit. Nearly three decades before the same local courts gives her familiarity with how Gilmer, Pickens, and Fannin County judges approach custody, support, and property questions.

Her East Ellijay office is convenient for clients across Gilmer County. Her website provides relatively little detail on credentials or case results compared with some other firms on this list.

5. Marger Stuart Law

• Attorney/Key Figure: Cortney Stuart Potts, Principal Attorney
• Headquarters: 44 N. Main St., Jasper, GA 30143
• Phone: (706) 253-3060
• Website: margerstuartlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law, Divorce, Criminal Defense, DUI and BUI, Personal Injury, Estate Planning, Probate Administration, Wills, Powers of Attorney
• Firm Size: Four-attorney firm founded in 2017; principal attorney has about 15 years of family law experience

About the Firm: Cortney Stuart Potts leads Marger Stuart Law, a four-attorney Jasper firm founded in 2017 that serves families throughout North Georgia, including Gilmer County. She has about 15 years of experience in family law, divorce, and child custody, and she holds a perfect 10.0 Avvo rating with 50 client reviews, the most of any family lawyer in the Jasper area on that directory.

The firm combines negotiation and mediation with litigation experience and emphasizes affordable rates and flexible payment options, which matters in a region where many families are budget-conscious about legal fees. Pickens County is part of the same Appalachian Judicial Circuit as Gilmer, so the firm regularly appears before the same judges. Its office is in Jasper, a short drive south of Ellijay.

6. J.L. Weaver Law Firm

• Attorney/Key Figure: John Luke Weaver, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 57 South East St., Jasper, GA 30143 (additional office at 130 E. Main St., Suite 320, Canton, GA 30114)
• Phone: (706) 253-1001
• Website: jlweaverlawfirm.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law (Divorce and Separation, Child Custody and Visitation, Child and Spousal Support, Property Division, Protective Orders, Adoption), Criminal Defense
• Firm Size: Small firm with offices in Jasper and Canton

About the Firm: John Luke Weaver leads a family law practice with offices in Jasper and Canton that serves Cherokee, Pickens, Gilmer, and Fannin Counties, with a dedicated Gilmer County family law page. He holds a 9.6 Avvo rating, and the firm stresses its experience in the local courtrooms where its cases are heard.

The firm takes a negotiation-first approach rather than “scorched-earth tactics,” prepares clients at each stage of the process, and offers transparent fee structures and payment plans. Its practice spans divorce, custody, support, property division, protective orders, and adoption. Its website offers limited detail on individual attorney credentials.

7. D. Charles Fulcher, Attorney at Law, LLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: D. Charles “Charlie” Fulcher, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 95 N. Main St., Jasper, GA 30143
• Phone: (706) 314-8068
• Website: lawdcf.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law (Divorce, Child Custody, Property Division, Protective Orders, Adoption, Legitimation, Contempt), Criminal Law (DUI, Traffic, Drug Crimes)
• Firm Size: Solo practice established in 2011; about 19 years in practice

About the Firm: Charlie Fulcher has practiced for about 19 years and opened his Jasper firm in 2011, describing it as litigation-oriented: prepared to try a case in the courtroom when necessary and to negotiate when that serves the client better. His family practice covers divorce, custody, property division, protective orders, adoption, legitimation, and contempt actions.

His legitimation and contempt work is especially relevant in North Georgia, where unmarried fathers must file a legitimation action to secure parental rights and where enforcing unpaid support or ignored parenting plans is a common post-divorce issue. As a solo practitioner, he handles each case personally but without the bench depth of a larger firm.

8. Law Office of Sarah K. Owensby

• Attorney/Key Figure: Sarah K. Owensby, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 3830 East First St., Suite B, Blue Ridge, GA 30513
• Phone: (706) 925-9705
• Website: attorneysarahkowensby.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law (Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support Enforcement), Criminal Law (DUI, Drug Offenses, Assault, Domestic Violence), Civil Law (Contracts, Construction Litigation, Personal Injury)
• Firm Size: Small Blue Ridge practice founded in 2019; founder has more than two decades of legal experience

About the Firm: Sarah K. Owensby has practiced for more than two decades and opened her Blue Ridge firm in 2019, serving Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, and Union Counties. She was named to the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys’ Top Ten list in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Her practice covers divorce, custody, and child support enforcement alongside criminal and civil work, which is useful when a family case involves a domestic violence charge or a dispute over a construction business or contract. Fannin County shares the Appalachian Circuit bench with Gilmer, so she appears before the same judges. Her office is in Blue Ridge, north of Ellijay in neighboring Fannin County.

9. Kendrick & Associates Law

• Attorney/Key Figure: Rebecca Kendrick, Attorney; John Mahan, Attorney
• Headquarters: 211 Cleveland St., Suite C, Blairsville, GA 30512 (additional office at 2460 East First St., Suite B3, Blue Ridge, GA 30513)
• Phone: (706) 400-5055
• Website: kendrickandassociateslaw.com
• Practice Areas: Family Law and Divorce, Real Estate, Estate Planning and Probate, Business Formation and Litigation, Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury
• Firm Size: Two-attorney firm with more than 50 years of combined experience

About the Firm: Rebecca Kendrick handles the firm’s family law and divorce work and brings prior experience with the Georgia Department of Child Support Services, the state agency that establishes and enforces child support orders. That background is directly useful in support calculations, modifications, and enforcement disputes. Her colleague John Mahan, admitted in 1982, has served as a guardian ad litem and works in an administrative role with the Gilmer County Probate Court.

The firm’s offices in Blairsville and Blue Ridge serve Union, Fannin, and the surrounding North Georgia counties, and its real estate and estate planning practices help when a divorce involves land, a home, or updating estate documents. Family law is one of several practice areas, and its offices are farther from Ellijay than the Gilmer County firms on this list.

10. Kleem Law, LLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: Curtis Kleem, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 201 N. Thornton Ave., 2nd Floor, Dalton, GA 30720
• Phone: (706) 277-0606
• Website: kleemlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Adoptions (Newborn, Adult, Grandchild, and Stepchild), Family Law, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death
• Firm Size: Dalton practice; founder has practiced since 2001

About the Firm: Curtis Kleem has practiced since 2001 and has made adoption a centerpiece of his Dalton firm, handling newborn, stepparent, grandparent, and adult adoptions alongside broader family law work. Adoption is a specialized area with its own consent, termination of parental rights, and home study requirements, and a lawyer who handles it regularly can move a case forward more efficiently.

His practice primarily serves Dalton, Chatsworth, Ringgold, Calhoun, and the rest of Northwest Georgia, so he is a practical choice mainly for Ellijay families with adoption needs or ties to Whitfield or Murray County. He does not list Gilmer County among his core service areas.

Ellijay, GA Family Law Resources

• Gilmer County Courthouse: 1 Broad Street, Ellijay. Home of the Gilmer County Superior Court and Clerk of Court, where family cases are filed and heard.
• Appalachian Family Law Information Center (APPFlic): Located in the Gilmer County Courthouse, Suite 102-A, 1 Broad Street, Ellijay. Helps self-represented litigants in Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens Counties with family law forms and procedures. Phone: (706) 299-1444.
• Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS): The state agency that helps parents establish paternity and establish, modify, and enforce child support orders.
• Georgia Child Support Commission: Publishes the official child support calculator and worksheets used in Georgia support cases.
• CASA of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit: A volunteer advocacy program based in Blue Ridge that serves children in dependency cases in Gilmer, Pickens, and Fannin Counties.
• Georgia Legal Services Program: Provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income residents outside metro Atlanta, including in some family law matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a divorce take in Gilmer County?

An uncontested divorce, where both spouses agree on property, support, and custody, can be finalized as soon as 31 days after service, and many take 45 to 90 days depending on the court’s schedule. Contested divorces involving custody disputes or significant assets commonly take six months to a year or more. Attorneys who emphasize negotiated resolutions, such as Kayann Hayden West and J.L. Weaver Law Firm, can often shorten the process when both sides are willing to compromise.

How is child custody decided in Georgia?

Georgia courts decide custody based on the best interests of the child, looking at factors such as each parent’s relationship with the child, stability, and ability to co-parent. A child who is 14 or older can choose which parent to live with, subject to the judge’s approval, and a judge must consider the wishes of a child between 11 and 13. Parents submit a parenting plan covering decision-making and parenting time, and when they cannot agree, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem to investigate.

How is child support calculated in Georgia?

Georgia uses an income shares model: the court combines both parents’ gross incomes, determines a basic support obligation from the state guidelines, and divides it in proportion to each parent’s income, with adjustments for health insurance, child care, and parenting time. Rebecca Kendrick of Kendrick & Associates brings prior experience with the Georgia Division of Child Support Services to these calculations.

Do unmarried fathers need to file for legitimation in Georgia?

Yes. In Georgia, a father who was not married to the mother has no legal custody or visitation rights until he files a legitimation petition and the court grants it, even if he is listed on the birth certificate or pays child support. Legitimation is often combined with a request for custody or parenting time. Sevcech Law, D. Charles Fulcher, and Teague Law all list legitimation among their services.

How is property divided in a Georgia divorce?

Georgia follows equitable distribution, meaning marital property is divided fairly, which is not always 50/50. Property acquired before the marriage, or by gift or inheritance to one spouse, is generally separate. In a region with significant family land, cabins, and small businesses, tracing what is marital and what is separate is often the most important part of the case, and firms with real estate practices, such as Kayann Hayden West and Kendrick & Associates, can be helpful.

Should I hire a local Ellijay attorney or one from Jasper or Blue Ridge?

Gilmer, Pickens, and Fannin Counties share the same Appalachian Judicial Circuit, so attorneys based in Jasper and Blue Ridge, such as Marger Stuart Law and Sarah K. Owensby, regularly appear before the same Superior Court judges as Ellijay attorneys. An Ellijay office is more convenient for frequent meetings and short-notice hearings, while a slightly longer drive may be worth it for an attorney whose experience and approach fit your case.

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an attorney referral. It is not a ranked or sponsored list, and inclusion does not imply an endorsement by, or affiliation with, any named firm beyond what is stated. Attorney credentials, case results, and contact details change over time; confirm current information directly with each firm before making a hiring decision. Past results described here do not guarantee similar outcomes in any other case.