Georgia Family and Divorce Lawyers

Family and Divorce Law

303 Jesse Jewell Pkwy, suite 200, Gainesville, GA 30501-2900

Lydia J. Sartain served for nine years as District Attorney of the Georgia Northeastern Judicial Circuit. She also served as Solicitor for the State Court of Hall County. A native of Blairsville, GA, Lydia graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. In 1998, Georgia Trend magazine listed her as one of the state’s “Forty Under Forty” leaders, and in 2006 she was named one of Georgia’s top trial lawyers. Launching her own practice in 2019 provided Lydia the opportunity to focus on what she knows best – Family Law and Mediation. Prior to her appointment as DA, Lydia acted as Director of Georgia’s Children and Youth Council under Governor Zell Miller. In this position she oversaw grant programs to prevent juvenile delinquency and monitored all of the juvenile detention facilities across Georgia as part of the Department of Justice. In 1999, Governor Roy Barnes appointed Lydia to serve on the State Board of Public Safety where she supported the efforts of all public safety agencies to reduce crime, apprehend those who commit them, and respond to disaster.

Family and Divorce Law

3650 Mansell Rd suite 475, Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA

Mali is a family law and trial attorney at heart. She began her practice after law school in Forsyth County, Georgia, where she quickly began to try cases and advocate for her clients in the courtroom. Mali’s passion is to protect and lead others while helping create a new life for parents and children who are undergoing the tribulations created within the realm of family law cases. While she most enjoys her time in the courtroom, she places an emphasis on guiding her cases to settlement and bringing only the cases that truly warrant court intervention to trial. Her philosophy is that the best trial attorneys make even better settlement attorneys and that good lawyers should lead by example and guide their clients to responsible conclusions that will lead to a smooth transition into a new chapter after navigating the difficult waters family law typically entails. She considers her team to be her wolfpack and enjoys leading and guiding other lawyers in their development as family law practitioners. She believes that to be the best, you must surround yourself with the best. To that end, Mali enjoys dedicating time to team building and mentorship with the Hastings Shadmehry team and to seeing her associates grow and flourish in their practices. Mali began working with Andee Hastings in 2019 and became a partner with Andee in 2021. They formed Hastings Shadmehry Family Law in 2023. Mali is known for her ability in the courtroom and has tried cases in a wide variety of jurisdictions across Georgia. She prides herself on giving tough advice when needed, helping her clients make efficient decisions, and in bringing an intense and focused energy to the table in every case. Mali grew up in Forsyth County, Georgia, where she attended North Forsyth High School. She currently serves as the President of the Forsyth County Bar Association and is proud to serve her community and work with her fellow Forsyth County colleagues in building and growing a strong Bar. Outside of her work, Mali enjoys bodybuilding, running, hiking, riding horses, being a foodie, and hanging with her two dogs, Stormie and Cohen. She believes that strong family law attorneys must be balanced in mind, body, and spirit so that they can come to the table to serve their clients every day. She enjoys encouraging others, including her clients, to embody this mentality and grow to reach a place of peace and strength, and she values her role in helping others to do so.

Family and Divorce Law

100 Habersham Dr, Fayetteville, GA 30214, USA

Patrick J. Fox, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, brings more than forty years of experience to his practice of law. Mr. Fox is a seasoned litigator who has tried more than 80 jury cases to verdict. His area of concentration is family law, including divorce, custody, support, and modification actions. It is in this field that Mr. Fox has earned the reputation as a skilled, tenacious, and successful advocate. He is admitted to practice in all courts in the State of Georgia, the Georgia Supreme Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. After earning his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA in 1972, Fox received his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1975. In addition to holding a Peer-Review AV rating with Martindale Hubbell for legal ability and ethical standards (the highest possible designation), Mr. Fox has been recognized by Atlanta Magazine as a Georgia Super Lawyer. Fox is a member of the American Bar Association, the Fayette County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (past Vice-President), the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and the Rotary Club of Fayetteville. Mr. Fox is married to the former Martha Ann Adams. They have two children, Meredith F. McClure and Patrick J. Fox, Jr., M.D., as well as four grandchildren. He and his wife make their home in Fayette County.

Family and Divorce Law

138 Bulloch Ave, Roswell, GA 30075

Founding attorney, Rachel Platt, is a highly respected attorney among her peers and clients. Since 2014, Ms. Platt has been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyers in the field of family law. Additionally since 2018, Georgia Super Lawyers named her to the Top 100 Attorneys and to the Top 50 Women Attorneys for the State of Georgia. Previously, Ms. Platt was an honoree on the Georgia Rising Star list in the field of family law from 2010-2013, voted by her peers as one of the best young lawyers in the state. She has also been recognized as one of Georgia’s Legal Elite in 2009, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2019 in the area of family law by Georgia Trend magazine. Ms. Platt also currently holds a “Superb” rating on avvo.com. Ms. Platt graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2000, and obtained her Juris Doctor at the University of Colorado, School of Law, in 2004. She became a member of the Georgia Bar in 2004. Ms. Platt is an active member of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (Foundation President 2010 – 2011) and the Atlanta Bar Association. Ms. Platt has been practicing law for the last 18 years and is currently concentrates her legal practice in the areas of family law and special education law, and as outlined below, she frequently lectures on both topics.

Family and Divorce Law

175 Langley Dr suite a1, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, USA

Sharon Sweat Jackson is a top female divorce lawyer serving the metro Atlanta area. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of South Carolina. She later earned her Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Chapman University in San Diego, CA. In 2005, she earned her Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University.