The Big Promise vs. The Fine Print
AI and online kits are great at filling blanks. What they don’t do is protect your future in Georgia’s real-world courts. Judges don’t approve “pretty.” They approve precise, enforceable orders that fit county practice in places like Richmond, Columbia, and Burke. Miss the details and your “fast” divorce slows down.
Below are the seven failure points we fix most often.
1) County-Compliance: Missing the Local Quirks
Bots don’t work the clerk’s counter. We do.
What goes wrong: Required affidavits missing, wrong notary blocks, incorrect captions, exhibits out of order.
Fix: Use county-compliant packets built for the exact courtroom that will read them.
2) Child Support Math: Pretty… and Wrong
A sentence like “we agree support is $X” won’t fly.
What goes wrong: No Georgia Child Support Worksheet, bad inputs, or no justification for any deviation.
Fix: Attach the worksheet, include health insurance details, uncovered medical splits, reimbursement timelines, and, if you deviate, explain why.
3) The Refinance Time Bomb
“Refinance when able” looks peaceful. It is unenforceable.
What goes wrong: No date-certain deadline, no denial proof, no fallback sale terms, no access for appraisal. Credit gets wrecked.
Fix: Deadline to apply and close, required lender proof, automatic sale fallback with listing date, agent-selection method, pricing formula, and who pays prep costs.
4) Title Transfers for Cars (and the Insurance Mess)
“He keeps the car, she’ll pay the loan” is not a plan.
What goes wrong: Title never moves, tags and insurance still wrong, loan in the other name.
Fix: Put dates for title transfer, loan assumption or payoff, insurance carrier and minimums, proof deadlines, and who handles tags and ad valorem tax.
5) “Flexible” Parenting Language That Starts Fights
“We’ll work it out” sounds kind. It creates chaos.
What goes wrong: Missed weekends, last-minute swaps, confusion at school or activities.
Fix: A specific parenting plan: weekly schedule, exchanges, holiday rotation, travel notice, extracurriculars, decision-making authority, right of first refusal, communication rules.
6) Retirement Splits Without the QDRO Plan
AI can’t chase your plan administrator.
What goes wrong: Order says “split the 401(k)” with no QDRO drafter, valuation date, or fee responsibility. Result: long delays and extra cost.
Fix: Identify each plan, name who drafts the QDRO, set the valuation date, and assign plan/processing fees with a delivery timeline.
7) No Proof-and-Enforcement Clause
Goodwill fades when bills hit.
What goes wrong: No requirement to share monthly statements during transitions, no fee shifting for willful nonpayment, no mediation step to resolve routine disputes.
Fix: Add a proof of payment method (portal or email), late-payment remedies, fee shifting, and a quick mediation clause before filings.
How This Slows the “30-Day” Dream
Courts can approve uncontested cases about 30 days after signatures when the packet is clean and the judge is satisfied. AI errors trigger correction requests, re-filing, and do-overs that push you weeks behind. Precision is what makes “fast” real.
Your Copy/Paste Clean-Up Checklist
Before you file, confirm these are in the packet:
- County-specific affidavits and exhibits for Richmond/Columbia/Burke
- Detailed property terms: refinance deadline + sale fallback; access rules
- Vehicles: title transfer date, loan assumption/payoff, insurance proof, tags
- Debts: each creditor listed, who pays, start date, proof method
- Parenting plan with exchanges, holidays, travel notice, activities, authority
- Georgia Child Support Worksheet attached; payment method and due date; medical insurance and reimbursements
- Retirement: QDRO drafter, valuation date, fee responsibility
- Proof-and-enforcement: monthly statements during transition, late-payment remedies, fee shifting, mediation step
- All signatures and notary blocks correct
If any line reads like a Hallmark card, rewrite it.
Professional Bottom Line
AI can draft words. It cannot guarantee Georgia compliance or enforceability. For uncontested cases, a short attorney review often saves months of delay and thousands in fixes.
Closing Message
Want the speed of a simple divorce without the bot-made holes? Catherine Verdery Ryan, Attorney at Law, prepares or reviews uncontested packets that judges can sign the first time.
Visit catherineryanlawyer.com to file once, finish cleanly, and move forward with confidence.