Stepparents in many states have a hand in raising a child, which we often see in Hollywood. But in Georgia, stepparents can't be awarded visitation rights or be obligated to pay child support to stepchildren.

In most states, the court will show a strong preference to the natural parents' wishes, but stepparents can still overcome that presumption.

Georgia, however, is another story.

Paternity is the age-old "baby daddy" question. It's the legal recognition of a man as a child's father. Paternity often has to be established for legal rights like child custody, support, visitation, adoption and inheritance.

Paternity is commonly established through DNA testing. But it's not the only way. Here are a few other ways Georgia allows paternity establishments to be made:

When you got married, you may have been wildly in love and willing to sign anything, including an unfavorable prenuptial agreement.

Now the blind love has worn off and you're looking to invalidate that prenuptial agreement to get your fair share.

While you may think that you are out of luck, there actually are quite a few ways to get a prenup tossed out of court. Here's a look a five common ways that an Atlanta family lawyer can invalidate a prenuptial agreement:

You've heard people say it before: Stay off Facebook if you're going through a divorce.

In fact, it may be good advice to stay off any website where you have a public profile. And you may not want to update your status or post pictures either.

Why? Because according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 64% of lawyers say they've cited Match.com profiles as evidence in divorce cases.

Traditionally, the only legal alternative to getting a divorce was to stay married, with the illegal option being "find a way to get rid of your spouse." But more couples these days are choosing legal separation instead.

That means those couples are still officially married in the eyes of the law. But in day to day life, they aren't really together anymore.

Is that the right choice for you? It's hard to say, although your attorney might be able to give you better advice. What we can offer is some things to think about. For example:

Getting a divorce is an expensive process. Then you throw in calculating alimony, which means one person is still making payments after the divorce is settled.

How much is alimony in general? It's hard to put a number on it since there are a lot of factors that go into the decision.

Courts want to make sure that everything from the marriage is fairly divided. Alimony is designed to compensate a spouse for intangible contributions that can't be split.

Nothing about divorce is simple but if you live in Georgia, you have an extra decision to make. Should you choose a fault or a no fault divorce?

This isn't about where you put personal blame. The law doesn't really care if you tell everyone you ex is a walking nightmare, or if you politely say "things just didn't work out." In law,fault and no fault refer to legal concepts, not personal responsibility.

Like many other legal terms, if you want to use it then you have to prove it; in court that is. What you have to prove in divorce is specific to what you choose.

Tell someone that you're engaged to be married and you will suddenly be the recipient of more wedding and marriage advice than you knew existed. But we'd be surprised if any of that advice includes how to go about changing your last name.

Maybe that's because the process is so simple that people assume you'll figure it out. But you know what they say about assuming, right?

Let's just say that it can go poorly for you. It's much better to know what you actually need to do to change your name after your wedding.

Figuring out how to deal with divorce isn't an easy process. No one just wakes up one morning thinking "maybe today I'll get a divorce." Deciding whether it's the right choice takes time, and then actually going through the process can take even longer.

We can't help you with the soul-searching that goes into deciding whether to get a divorce. That's what family, friends, and community are for.

But if you've made the decision to pursue a divorce, there are some first steps you can take. While they may not ease the emotional decision, it may help you deal with the process.

The courtroom may be the traditional option for couples going through a divorce, but it's possible to skip the process entirely. Mediation is often a friendlier choice, and it may be better for you than a costly court battle.

We're not saying judges aren't friendly and mediators are all wonderful. They're just people after all, so some are wonderful, some are jerks, and most are somewhere in-between.

The "friendly" aspect of mediation refers more to the outcome. For couples who need to keep a civil relationship, like those with children, it can make a big difference.