Nashville Divorce Attorney

Divorce changes every aspect of your life, from your family to your finances. You need a knowledgeable legal advocate to guide you through, protect your rights, and ensure that you can build a better future.

When you need a Nashville divorce lawyer with knowledge, experience, and compassion, Burdine Law Firm is here to help. Our Nashville family law attorneys have 15 years of experience representing clients in both contested and uncontested divorces. We have hundreds of satisfied clients whom we have helped through one of the most difficult times of their lives.

You can reach out to our firm today at (629) 529-4615 to tell us your story and learn how we can help you. You can also read on to learn more about what our experienced divorce attorneys can do to guide you through the process of your marriage dissolving.

How a Nashville Divorce Lawyer Can Help You

We have the negotiation experience to help maximize the chances of an uncontested divorce if you’re hoping for this simplified approach to dissolving your marriage.

The attorneys at Burdine Law Firm have years of litigation experience and extensive knowledge in Tennessee family law. Our team can work with you to put together the best possible case to convince the judge that your preferred custody arrangement, support plan, or property division plan is the right one.

Meet Attorney Hannah Burdine

Nashville divorce attorney Hannah Burdine

Hannah Burdine is the founder of Burdine Law Firm and is a Nashville family law attorney with over 15 years of experience. Attorney Hannah Burdine provides compassionate and expert legal service for clients in Nashville and surrounding areas. With her expertise in Tennessee family law, Ms. Burdine offers a personalized approach for every client and handles a range of family law cases including contested divorce, child custody, alimony, property division, prenuptial agreements, and more.

Client Testimonials

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“I cannot recommend Hannah Burdine enough. From the minute we started communicating, I became a priority. There was never a time where I felt like I was on the side, or that I was not important. She is 100% a fighter. She helped me get joint custody of my child when my spouse was being uncooperative and making false accusations against me. She knows the law like the back of her hand, and provided me with the tools I needed to keep my child in my life. Very affordable, and very professional, do not think twice about hiring her as your family law attorney.”

– Ian S.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Hannah and all of her paralegals were nothing but professional and became my friends and support. I had gotten divorce papers and needed a consultation. Megan got me in the next morning. I retained Hannah instantly at that meeting. Her professionalism is at a high level. I was doing this long distance and her communication was prompt and thorough. Calls and e-mails returned promptly and her support in getting the end result for me was incredible. Divorce final in 4 months and amicable. I highly recommend Ms. Burdine and her staff. Remarkable!!!!”

– Luanne M.

Divorce Law Issues Our Attorneys Can Help With

At Burdine Law Firm, we work with you to navigate all the complex issues raised by divorce. We represent clients in both contested and uncontested divorces.

  • An uncontested divorce is one in which you agree on legal issues like property and custody division. Uncontested divorces can be less expensive, and faster, and result in better outcomes since you negotiate the issues yourself.
  • Our Nashville contested divorce attorneys can help in cases in which you must ask a judge to decide on issues you can’t agree on. The judge could decide on custody, spousal support, property division, or other issues.

Additionally, we can help you navigate other legal matters related to divorce, including the following.

Meeting Divorce Residency Requirements

Tennessee Code section 36-4-104 establishes the rules for who can get divorced in Tennessee. You can end your marriage in the state only if:

  • Grounds for divorce arose in Tennessee.
  • Grounds for divorce arose elsewhere, but either you or your spouse have been a resident of the state for six months

Making sure you are eligible to end your marriage in Tennessee is the first step to pursuing a divorce.

Choosing Grounds for Divorce

You must state a reason for divorce when you end your marriage. Tennessee Code Section 36-4-101 outlines grounds for divorce including:

  • Either party being impotent or incapable of producing children at the time of the marriage.
  • Bigamy (Either party already being married at the time of the marriage)
  • Adultery
  • Either party being convicted of an “infamous” crime under Tennessee law
  • Either spouse being convicted of a felony crime and sentenced to jail
  • Either spouse trying to kill the other
  • Willful abandonment of either spouse for a period of two or more years
  • The wife being pregnant at the time of the marriage with someone else’s child without the husband knowing
  • Habitual drunkenness or intoxication when the habit developed after marriage
  • Cruel, inhumane, or intolerable treatment
  • Living separately and apart for two or more years without cohabitating if there are no minor children shared by the spouses
  • Irreconcilable differences

If you want to pursue a no-fault versus a fault divorce, you’ll choose irreconcilable differences as the grounds.

At Burdine Law Firm, we can help you decide what reason you should list when you file your divorce paperwork as this decision can be more complex than you’d think. For example, a fault divorce requires more evidence of the grounds, which complicates proceedings.

get experienced legal help from a nashville divorce attorney

Dividing Property

Tennessee is an equitable distribution state, which means property is divided fairly but not always evenly. Tennessee Code Section § 36-4-121 sets forth the rules the court must follow when distributing property. Under these rules, each party keeps their own separate property but shared assets acquired during the marriage are divided based on factors including:

  • The length of the marriage
  • The “age, physical and mental health, vocational skills, employability, earning capacity, estate, financial liabilities, and financial needs of each of the parties”
  • Tangible and intangible contributions either spouse made to the earning power of the other.
  • The ability of each spouse in the future to acquire capital assets and income
  • How each party contributed to acquiring and caring for premarital property
  • The value of separate property each spouse owned
  • The economic circumstances of each spouse when property is divided
  • The tax consequences of the property division
  • The amount of  ​​benefits each spouse has available
  • Other factors necessary to make a fair choice

If there is a shared family home, custody of the children will also impact which spouse — if any — gets to keep the house.

An experienced Nashville property division lawyer at Burdine Law Firm can help you understand these rules so you can determine what property you may be entitled to. We can help you to negotiate an agreement outside of court to divide property or can assist in arguing for your preferred outcome before a judge.

Creating a Parenting Plan or Resolving a Custody Dispute

Under Tennessee Code Section 36-6-106, all custody disputes must be resolved based on a simple factor. “The determination shall be made on the basis of the best interest of the child.”

Courts can take many factors into account when deciding what’s best for a child but those factors boil down to:

  • The stability of the child’s past relationships with the parent, siblings, and other extended family members
  • Who has been the primary caregiver and has the capacity to continue serving as a primary caregiver in the future
  • Whether the parents have cooperated with court-ordered parent education
  • The capability of each parent to provide food, clothing, education, shelter, and other necessary care including meeting the child’s needs.
  • The child’s developmental level
  • The physical, moral, and emotional fitness of each parent
  • The importance of continuity for the child
  • The character and behavior of any other people living with either parent
  • The employment schedule of each parent
  • Reasonable preferences of children 12 and over

Parents are encouraged to make a parenting plan and decide on the best custody arrangement, and Burdine Law Firm can help to negotiate this agreement out of court. Our child custody lawyer in Nashville can also represent you before a judge to help protect your time with your children if no agreement can be reached.

Child Support and Alimony

Finally, Burdine Law Firm can assist with matters related to child support and alimony.

There are lengthy guidelines used to determine child support that take into account the custody schedule, number of children, and parental incomes. Tennessee law also establishes rules for spousal support in Code Section 36-5-121. Under these laws, the court will make decisions on spousal support based on the nature of the case and the circumstances of the parties.

Contact a Nashville Divorce Lawyer Today

Burdine Law Firm has a long, successful track record of advocating for our clients on these and other issues that arise during divorce. Our experienced divorce attorneys serve Nashville and the surrounding areas and offer free consultations to help you understand how we can advocate for you throughout your divorce. Give us a call at (629) 529-4615 today to learn more.