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Cara Sprouse Rowe, Attorney at Law, is a family law practice serving clients in Columbia, Richmond, Burke, Lincoln, and McDuffie counties. As a former State Prosecutor from 1998 to 2006, Cara brings her expertise litigating cases before Judges with countless Jury and Bench trials, Motions, and Sentencings before the Court.
We recognize the stress the client is under while going through a divorce. Cara’s experience and tenacity will guide you smoothly through the divorce process, including the first Initial Con-ference, Motion hearings, all the way through to Mediation and if necessary, a Final hearing before the Judge. In a divorce with minor children, a Guardian Ad Litem may need to be appointed to advocate for the children for what
is In their best interest. There is also marital property, assets, and debts to be divided. In these cases, we do in-depth discovery to uncover bad conduct and financial information on the spouse.
Active or former active-duty members have unique issues to decide including the spouse’s lack of earning potential due to frequent relocations to addressing the distribution of military retirement. VA benefits are not marital property.
The Courts will determine what is in the best interest of the children in a divorce or in an initial custody litigation. We strive and hope that the parents of the children maintain a positive influence in the children’s lives. However, we han-dle cases aggressively where a parent is not following the Court Order or not providing for what is in the best interest of the child/children. We also handle modifications of custody. At the age of 14, a child can declare which parent he or she desires to live with primarily.
LEGITIMATION
Cara has litigated many child custody for fathers in a legitimation case. Unwed parents of children all rights are granted in Georgia to the biological mother. The Father, even if his name is on the birth certificate and has a child support order, has no legal rights to have custody or visitation until a Petition and Order is executed by the Courts. Cara has provided Father’s access on a regular basis to his children through the Courts and also has represented the mothers in Actions for legitimation when it is not in the best interest of the children to have contact with the father.
VISITATION
A big concern for the non-custodial parent is access to their children. The Court has a parenting plan every other weekend for the non-custodial parent however, that doesn’t always work with today’s work and life schedule. Cara advocates for a modified schedule that will give the non-custodial parent frequent parenting time with the children.
MODIFICATION OF PRIOR ORDER
A parent who is not satisfied with their current Order that is in place can Petition the Court to modify custody, change visitation schedule, or even recalculate child support. This includes a suspension in visitation when the non-custodial parent is not acting in the best interest of the children.
DOMESTICATION OF FOREIGN DECREE
If another state issued a Final Order and neither party resides in that state, a domestication making the other state a “Georgia” Order so that a modification of custody, visitation, child support can be litigated.
CONTEMPT
If you have an Order from a Court and the other party is not complying with that Order, we can file a Petition for Contempt, litigate the issues, and even request for an award of attorney’s fees based on the other party’s finding of willful contempt. However, there are circumstances where there is a legal defense to not following the Court Order, and we have litigated many such cases.
ALLMONY
When one party is divorcing their spouse, and they are accustomed to a certain lifestyle, the party can request an award of Temporary and permanent Alimony also called Spousal Support for the maintenance of that spouse. It is not calculated by any percentage but is often looked at by the Judge what the spouse needs to maintain that lifestyle. Cara has an accounting background so she knows how to examine the financial of either party to determine the amount of spousal support that should be Ordered.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
When one party is the victim of domestic violence, Cara can Petition the Court for an Order of Protection for the victim and also the children of the victim. Cara has long been a volunteer at SafeHomes of Augusta, and she was the first designated Prosecutor of Domestic Violence criminal cases in 1998 for State Court.
Cara began practicing in 1998 and uses her 25 plus years of experience and knowledge to advocate and strategize for her client’s issues. Cara invests her time and compas-sion into each individual case as if it was her own outcome on the line. Each case has its particular issues, and each case is unique, requiring commitment and tenacity to achieve the best results for every client.
BBA – emphasis in Accounting
Owner of Spouse Insurance Agency until 1994
Master of Business – Augusta University 1998
Juris Doctorate – Tulsa Law School 1998
Admitted to Practice Law in Georgia – 1998
Admitted to Georgia Court of Appeals -1998
Admitted to Georgia Supreme Court -1998
1998 – Lead Prosecutor in newly developed
1998 First Prosecutor assigned to Domestic Violence cases
Domestic Violence Task Force
Volunteer Legal Services for Safe Homes of Augusta
Member of Columbia County Domestic Violence
Task Force
You need an experienced litigator to handle your case. Schedule your free initial consultation today to begin the process of getting legal representation.
519 Pleasant Home Rd Suite A3,
Augusta, GA 30907
(706) 650-7522
