Haralson County Family Lawyers

Since starting Rachel Kaufman Law in June of 2015, Rachel has provided top-notch legal representation to hundreds of clients throughout the State of Georgia. In that short time, Rachel has gained a reputation for being a highly passionate and highly effective courtroom advocate. Amongst her colleagues, judges and courtroom personnel, Rachel is known for being a smart fighter, who can see through the tumbleweeds and intuitively zero-in on which strategic routes need to be taken to get to the best outcome possible. No matter the charge (DUI, Murder, Drug Offense, etc.), Rachel approaches each client’s situation with family-like loyalty and...

Although well known by all for his extremely calm, collected, and friendly demeanor, Walter Zankov is always ready to go to war in the courtroom and stays prepared for any situation. Whenever working for his clients, Walter is tenacious and represents his clients with zeal. Thinking through every aspect and angle of his client’s case, he truly leaves no option unexplored and no stone unturned, to arrive at the optimal strategy for any situation. With a smile on his face and a handy sense of humor, he confidently delivers brilliant results.

When not refining his craft, Walter keeps his...

Founding Partners, Adam Slipakoff and Howard “Howie” Slomka have both worked in large and small law firms and with high-end clients as well as small. Quickly, they both came to realize that working with smaller clients gave them a sense of connected purpose and satisfaction that goes with helping people on a personal level. Using their experience to simplify needlessly complex processes, they found a love for guarding clients, from further trepidation and strife.
There will always be a place in the world for traditional “by the book”, black and white, logic-driven law firms. Adam and Howie simply believe their clients...

Prior to graduating from Harvard Law School, Mr. Oles earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance. Mr. Oles applied his advanced education as a successful entrepreneur in the highly-competitive auto industry.

Mr. Oles developed valuable experience as a transactional, business and estate planning lawyer with two prestigious national law firms in Georgia and New Jersey. At that time he represented numerous health-care companies and practitioners with problems ranging from business formation and capitalization to employee relations and regulatory compliance.

Mr. Oles’ success at representing corporate clients is derived from his own passion for business; but his devotion...

Gabriel Bradford, a former member of the Sarasota County Fire Department, is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia. While in law school, Gabe served on the School of Law’s Honor Court. Prior to joining the firm as a partner, Mr. Bradford served as an assistant district attorney in the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, which includes Banks, Barrow, and Jackson Counties. As an assistant district attorney, Gabe received trial training from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia and developed an expertise in domestic violence. Today,...

JD Univ. of Ga. Law School 1986 LLM in Taxation Emory University 1994 Litigated thousands of cases.

Ruslyn D. Ruby has practiced law since 2017. She focuses her practice on family law, probate and general civil litigation. She was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Forsyth County since her childhood. Mrs. Ruby graduated with a bachelors degree in Business Management, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina Aiken. While at USC-Aiken, she was the captain of the cheerleading squad and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. In 2016, Ruslyn received her Juris Doctorate from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law. While in law school, she was a member of the Association of...

On the morning of July 3, 2003, I was driving to cover Court for another attorney during a tropical storm, when I was blown off the road by the intense rain and high winds. I was informed by a third party whose judgment and observation I trust that my estimation of time during that period was very wrong. I spent a short time in a medically-induced coma, followed by about three weeks of being unconscious. The accident left me paralyzed on my right side, and I spent approximately four to five months after I awoke re-learning...

Amanda Dean has devoted her practice of law for and on behalf of children. Attorney Dean currently serves as Judge Pro Tem of the Dawson County and Hall County Juvenile Courts. Attorney Dean was previously selected by the Georgia Attorney General to be a Special Assistant Attorney General and represented the Hall County Department of Family and Children Services in Hall County Juvenile Court. Attorney Dean handles dependency cases arising from allegations of abuse or neglect of children. As a lawyer, Attorney Dean is actively involved in all aspects of the court process from the initial...

Meghan Ryan Noblett has practiced family law since her admission to the Georgia Bar in 2009. She has experience handling all matters relating to family law in the Magistrate Court, Superior Court and Juvenile Court. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut and raised in Roswell, Georgia, Mrs. Noblett earned her bachelors degree in English, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 2006. While at UGA, she was a National Merit Scholar, a United Parcel Service James E. Casey Merit Scholar, a UGA Charter Scholar, and a member of the UGA Honors Program. She also spent a semester studying abroad at Oxford...

Jennifer D. Patterson opened her first law firm in 1995 in Cumming, Georgia. Since then, she has enjoyed serving clients in the North Georgia area for the last twenty years. Jennifer focuses her practice on all issues related to families including divorce, child custody, child support, domestic violence and contempt issues.

She regularly handles matters which may be high conflict, including cases involving psychological custody evaluations, family owned businesses and retirement division.

As the mother of four children, she has a true understanding of the heart wrenching decisions that have to be made in custody and parenting matters and has guided her...

Elena Sanchez-Curtis was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 2010. Ms. Sanchez-Curtis did not immediately enter the practice of law after graduating college. Instead, she spent 17 years in the IT sales and sales management field. This business experience, and her own experience with co-parenting, allows Ms. Sanchez-Curtis to bring practicality and clear headed strategies to family law proceedings. This same practicality and analytical thinking is leveraged in her equine law practice and her approach to general problem solving. Elena Sanchez-Curtis has been riding horses for almost 50 years. She has shown hunters on the local and rated circuit in...

Neena Saxena is a dedicated, honest, and empathetic attorney who focuses on all issues related to families including divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, legitimation, alimony, property division, adoption, modifications and contempt issues. Neena is passionate about her clients and the law and experienced to handle all family law matters.

Neena grew up in Johns Creek and received her Bachelor of Science in Management with a Certificate in Operations Management from Georgia Institute of Technology. She obtained her law degree from Florida State University, College of Law and is a trained mediator. During her spare time, Neena spends her time with...

Lauren practices in the metro-Atlanta and northern Georgia counties as an attorney, mediator, and guardian ad litem. Lauren has exclusively practiced family law since 2007 and is a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. Lauren has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2014-2017 and as a Super Lawyer for 2018-2019. For the past 12 years, Lauren has been participated in the Georgia High School Mock Trial Program as an attorney coach and regional competition coordinator. Lauren competed in the High School Mock Trial Program as a student at North Forsyth High School and remains...

Cortney M. Stuart's legal background began with the Superior Court of Athens, Georgia, where she interned while studying as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, from which she graduated with Bachelors in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Political Science. She later graduated from the Florida Coastal School of Law, cum laude, receiving her Juris Doctor in May of 2011, subsequently sitting for the Georgia and Tennessee Bars in July of 2011, and being admitted to both in November of 2011. In 2012, she began her career as an associate at the Law Offices of Edwin Marger, LLC. Under Edwin Marger's...

Ivan is the son of a U.S. Marine Major General, and grew up in an environment in which one’s word is sacred, and duty and honor are prized values. Ivan carries these values in to his practice and in to the courtroom and is frequently complimented by opposing counsel for his ability to press a vigorous position while being faithful to his core values of candor and trustworthiness.

Admitted to the Bars of West Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas Ivan received his Juris Doctor from the University Of Virginia School Of Law and his focus has been products liability and...

Michelle R. Clark, the firm owner, is a trial lawyer whose practice focuses on criminal and domestic litigation. She has successfully litigated civil and criminal matters. She is a skilled and seasoned litigator. Member of Henry County Bar Association; Association of Trial Lawyers, Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and American Bar Association Appointed as State of Georgia , Special Assistant Attorney General representing Henry County DFACS in 2004; Selected as the first Davis-Wright Tremaine Scholar (1990-1993); Member of Puget Sound Inn of Courts, Moot Court Board, National Moot Court Quarterfinalist for Frederick Douglas Moot Court Team; Western Regional Best Petitioner's...

Joann has been litigating for several decades and has tried cases throughout the country in both State and Federal Court. After having practiced corporate litigation for a number of years, she felt she was in a position to follow her bliss and joined Meriwether & Tharp in June 2013 where she is an equity partner. She attended Emory University for her BA, Auburn University at Montgomery for her Master's in Liberal Arts, and law school at the University of South Carolina. Joann often describes being in court and working on appeals as her chocolate. She has been involved in several high...

Growing up in a multicultural household, I was shaped by my Japanese, Chinese, and African American heritage, which instilled in me the values of hard work, perseverance, and respect. Atlanta is my first home, but my time abroad also shaped my worldview and continues to influence how I approach my work and relationships. I earned my Bachelor’s in Japanese Language and Literature at the University of Georgia and my Juris Doctorate at the University of Alabama School of Law. While in law school, I discovered my passion for service, working in Family and Elder Law Clinics, clerking for a federal judge,...

Amanda Gaddis Speights represents clients in divorce or family law matters, criminal matters, appeals, and other civil litigation. In family law matters, Amanda has guided and counseled clients in settling uncontested divorces, fought for clients' rights in contested divorces and child custody or child support proceedings, and ensured that clients resolved their family disputes with the best resolution possible for their family given the situation. In addition to her work on family law cases, Amanda has represented clients arrested for various crimes, including DUI, felony and misdemeanor drug offenses, theft crimes, assault or battery charges. Amanda is very...

* Graduate of Emory University School of Law. Dean's Award for Public Service;
* Former member of the Emory University School of Law Trial Techniques Faculty;
* Practicing primarily in the North Georgia, Metro Atlanta Area for over 25 years as a Solo-Practitioner before the Probate Courts, Juvenile Courts, & Superior Courts in most of the counties of Georgia;
* Former Special Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS) for in their Child & Adult Protective Services cases;
* Primary Focused on:
* Estate Planning which includes the creation & administration of Trusts (all types including Special Needs Trust),...

A native Georgian, I am the oldest of four siblings. After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Georgia, I enrolled in the UGA School of Law and graduated in the spring of 2001. The first six years of my legal career were spent in the courtroom working as an Assistant District Attorney. Since then I have continued a litigation-oriented practice focusing on family law and criminal defense.

Family law attorney handling cases involving child support, child custody, legitimation, guardianship, divorce, visitation, child abandonment, modifications & all other domestic cases. Licensed to practice law since 2011 having handled cases in counties such as Cobb, Gwinnett, Dekalb, Fayette, Fulton, Henry, Rockdale, Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Barrow, Clarke, Carroll, Forsyth, Hall, Lumpkin, Netwon, Habersham, Paulding, Putnam, & Walton county. Offering reasonable fees, lower than most of my colleagues, which may include payment plans.

Mrs. Cross has been practicing law since 2000. Mrs. Cross handles the Georgia and Alabama bankruptcies for our firm. She also has a vast knowledge in Real Estate and Wills and Probates. Having admittance to practice law in both Alabama and Georgia, Mrs. Cross has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2000 and the Alabama State Bar since 2002. Mrs. Cross is a proud alumna of Auburn University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and received her Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Walter F. George Mercer University School of Law in 2000.

Jarrod grew up in Duluth, GA. He is a 2002 graduate of Mercer University and received his Law degree from Mercer Law School in 2005 located in Macon, GA. He is dedicated to remaining in the area to provide professional legal services to the residents in and around his hometown. A highly motivated individual, Jarrod has worked hard to earn the trust and respect of judges, clients, and colleagues. As one of our seasoned and experienced family law attorneys, he is driven to give his all to every case, no matter how simple or complex. Jarrod is a member...

Warren has practiced law with his firm, D. Warren Auld, P.C., Attorney at Law from 1987 to the present. The firm’s office is located in Gwinnett County in Snellville, Georgia.

For three decades Warren has engaged in a general practice encompassing domestic, criminal, business representation and civil litigation. He has accepted appointments and served as a Guardian ad Litem in Juvenile and Superior Court. He has served as Special Master for the Georgia Supreme Court and has been voted the "Best Lawyer to Get you Out of Trouble" in Gwinnett County.

Education
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW | Juris...

My firm, Maddox & Harding, LLC, has serviced the Griffin Judicial Circuit and surrounding counties for over 10 years. We specialize in family law, criminal defense and personal injury cases. I take pride in handling your family matters as if they were my own, and defending you in criminal matters and against insurance companies as if my own interest were on the line! Call (770) 229-4578 for a free consultation to find out how we can help you!

Maria is a member of the family law, criminal defense, and insurance law sections of the State Bar of Georgia. Additionally, Maria is a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Georgia Trial Lawyer’s Association. Maria is admitted to practice in all State and Superior Courts in Georgia; the Court of Appeals for the State of Georgia; and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Maria was recognized as a Top Rated Rising Star Lawyer in Family Law by Thomson Reuters for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Maria received a Client's Choice Award...

Lance N. Owen was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and grew up in Blakely, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1992 with a B.A. in Political Science. Mr. Owen received his law degree from the University of Memphis in 1995. Mr. Owen accepted a position with Shepherd & Johnston in Griffin, Georgia, after graduating from law school and became a partner with the firm in 2001. The firm became known as Johnston, Owen & Bullard in 2006 and opened an office in McDonough, Georgia in 2011. Mr. Owen is the currently the...

David Anton has practiced law in the metro-Atlanta area since 1994. During this time, he has represented thousands of clients, both individual and business clients, in a wide range of matters including personal injury cases, divorce, real estate matters, contract disputes, and appeals just to name a few. In addition to representing individuals and consumers, David Anton serves as general counsel for multiple small, medium and large businesses in the Atlanta area handling a variety of legal issues such as employee matters, collections, contract disputes, and general litigation. Mr. Anton is admitted to practice before all state and appellate...