Rule 24.8.Court Mandated Programs in Domestic Relations Cases

Rule 24. DOMESTIC RELATIONS · Last amended 1994 · Last verified July 17, 2026

In one sentenceRule 24.8 lets a superior court circuit set up a parenting seminar of up to four hours for parties in domestic relations cases, teaching how divorce affects children, and allows the court to require attendance, charge a waivable fee, and sanction a parent who skips it without good cause.

Full Text of Rule 24.8

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(A) There may be established by any superior court circuit a program designed to educate the parties to domestic relations actions in regard to the effects of divorce on minor children of the marriage. Establishment of the program shall be by majority vote of the judges of the circuit or by the chief judge, in the event of a tie vote by all judges.

(B) The superior court judges, under whose authority the program shall function, may require any or all parties to attend an educational seminar of no more than four hours in any domestic relations action before the court. The program may be administered by the court or by contract with a private agency. The seminar shall be conducted by qualified personnel whose professional and educational experiences include a knowledge of children and families.

(C) The seminar shall focus on the effects of divorce on children, specifically as it relates to the parents’ actions during and after the separation, and as it relates to the children at different developmental stages. Specific attention should be given to the effects of the economics of divorce on children.

(D) The court or contracted agency may charge each participant a fee, provided there is a fee waiver procedure in cases of indigent parties. The fee may be assessed in addition to court costs against either party in the discretion of the judge. The program shall be non-profit.

(E) The mandate of attendance shall be by court order with the assigned judge retaining the discretion to waive attendance for good cause shown. Such good cause may include: a party's non-residence in Georgia or in the county in which the action is pending or the reasonable availability of a similar program to the party or other such reasonable causes which indicate to the court that a party should not be required to complete the program. The court may, in its discretion, accept alternative counseling covering the subject matter of the required seminar. Unless waived, the failure to successfully complete the seminar shall be cause for appropriate action by the assigned judge, including but not limited to, withholding the final decree of divorce, attachment for contempt and award of attorneys’ fees and costs.

(F) The assigned judge may, as a discretionary matter, grant a final decree of divorce before completion of the seminar, but shall retain authority to impose sanctions upon either party who fails or refuses to comply with the order to attend and complete the seminar.

(G) The various courts which have established a seminar may make reciprocal agreements which would allow a party to attend an approved out-of-county seminar as a substitute for attending the seminar held in the county in which the action is pending.

End

Plain-English Summary

Rule 24.8 gives a circuit’s judges the option — not the mandate — of building a parent-education program around divorce cases. A majority of the circuit’s judges, or the chief judge if the vote ties, decides whether to establish one. Once a program exists, the assigned judge may order any or all parties in a domestic relations case to attend a seminar capped at four hours, run either by the court itself or by a private agency staffed with people who understand children and families.

The content is aimed at the children caught in the middle: how a divorce affects them, how each parent’s conduct during and after separation shapes that experience, and how the financial fallout of divorce lands on kids at different ages. Programs can charge a fee, provided indigent parties can get it waived, and the program itself has to operate as a non-profit.

Attendance is not optional once ordered, though the judge keeps discretion to excuse a party for good cause — living out of state or out of county, or having access to a comparable program elsewhere. Skipping the seminar without an excuse can cost a parent the final divorce decree, land them in contempt, or result in an award of attorney’s fees against them, though a judge may still finalize the divorce before the seminar is complete and retain the power to sanction the parent later. Circuits that run their own programs can also strike reciprocal deals letting a party satisfy the requirement by attending an approved seminar in another county.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a superior court circuit required to have a parenting seminar program?

No. The rule says a program “may” be established, by majority vote of the circuit’s judges or by the chief judge if the vote ties.

How long can the mandated seminar last?

No more than four hours.

Can a parent be excused from attending the seminar?

Yes, for good cause, which the rule says can include living outside Georgia or the county where the case is pending, or having reasonable access to a similar program elsewhere.

What happens if a parent fails to complete a required seminar without an excuse?

The assigned judge may withhold the final divorce decree, hold the parent in contempt, or award attorney’s fees and costs against them.

Can a court grant the final divorce decree before a parent finishes the seminar?

Yes, the judge may grant the decree first as a discretionary matter but keeps the authority to sanction a parent who later fails or refuses to complete it.

Amendment History

Rule 24.8 adopted effective May 26, 1994.

Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Uniform Superior Court Rules, published by the Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. Last verified July 17, 2026. · Official source

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