Deal Law Firm, LLC

05/12/2026

One of my favorite former clients came to see me recently and he asked if he could get a picture with me. Of course!

When I consider what makes me different than any other lawyer, it's this: many of my clients become like family because I truly care. It's why clients come back to me when they need representation, it's why clients send their family and friends to me, and it's why I've even represented people who I first met as witnesses on my cases. I take pride in helping people transition to a better place in their lives and I try not only to provide excellent representation, but also to encourage personal growth, in all of my clients.

04/13/2026

It was a gorgeous day for court in Cochran. Bleckley County Superior Court has a wonderful Clerk and staff. Always a good day to practice law in rural Georgia!

04/08/2026

Georgia does not halt final divorce proceedings when a spouse is pregnant. I'm glad the law is changing in Missouri: as the article explains, pregnancy is often the catalyst for new and worsening domestic abuse. Divorce is another common cause of worsening marital violence. Preventing pregnant women from divorcing unnecessarily places women and children in physical, emotional, and financial danger.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Tuesday signed into law a bill banning state judges from delaying divorce proceedings because a spouse is pregnant.

04/08/2026

My best advice to moms in custody cases: accept that your mental health and drug dependency have a significant impact on your child's quality of life. Mothers justify drug dependency because the medications were prescribed, and they minimize alcohol dependency because wine is legal, but their children are not receiving the nurturing and stability they need. It's especially disappointing when there is an involved father, willing and able to take primary custody of the children, but unable to do so because many of our courts still favor a mother with diminished capacity over a sober father.

04/02/2026

Yesterday, I earned a dismissal of my client's case. I say I earned it because I dug into the facts again and again and again, picking apart a case propelled by an insistent "victim". My client and his family provided me with evidence that my client was not there and did not do what he was accused of -- and every time I asked them to dig deeper and give me more -- more pictures, more explanations, more context -- they did what I asked. My dogged determination paid off for my client and I'm proud to have had the opportunity to represent him.

Justice does not always prevail but when it does, it's a sweet victory.

03/26/2026

I was recently asked for my best advice to a dad in a divorce. Here it is: Don't be the dad who never changed a diaper but demands primary custody of the kids in a divorce. Every parent should know:
- Their children's routines, including bedtime, bath time, wakeup time, meal times, and school time;
- The names of their children's school, teachers, doctors, coaches, best friends, and favorite t.v. show characters;
- What grade their children are in and what academic areas they excel or struggle in, what after-school activities their children do, what their vaccination status is, what major health problems they've had, what allergies or sensitivities they have, and what medications they take (in what dosages); and
- Their favorite meals (which you should know how to cook), their favorite stuffed animal/doll/toy/blankies, their clothing and shoe sizes and preferences (because children are human beings and they deserve to be comfortable, too).

Knowing your child (or your children) is a bare minimum, bottom rung on the parenting ladder kind of thing, and yet many people would be shocked at how many divorcing fathers -- not men who fathered children out of wedlock and have never had the opportunity to live with them, but men who share the same four walls with their children on a daily basis -- do not know this information. Frankly, it's inexcusable, and if you come to a divorce attorney asking for primary custody of your children and you don't know this information, you should have a very clear reason why you don't know and why you are better suited to be the primary caregiver of the child, despite not knowing them.

03/06/2026

One of my former clients was murdered in a Georgia prison this year (I helped him out years ago, but he had another charge more recently that sent him to prison).

Inmates should be safe from sexual abuse, physical violence, and murder while in prison. Georgia is failing our incarcerated populations -- it's not only unconstitutional, it's immoral.

01/06/2026

Happy Epiphany, friends! Today is the last day of Christmas and the last day of the Christmas holiday. I'm settling back into work and enjoying the last days of my Christmas tree.

While the winter holidays are disappearing, the flu is not. Flu kills -- and this year's flu strain has been dangerous to young, old, and all ages in between. Please continue to be a good community member: if you feel the combination of headache, body aches, and chills that frequently signal the flu, take your temperature and test for flu. When you feel ill, stay home.

Many seem to have forgotten the lessons of covid: your illness may not kill you, but it can kill those you love.

Let's start the new year off right!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween! 🎃 If you are out tonight, PLEASE SLOW DOWN! Soon, kids will begin going out to trick-or-treat, visit friends, and memories. Be safe, drive alert, and don't allow your cellphone to distract you. Make tonight MAGICAL for kids!

08/22/2025

Today, I received a signed copy of an order from a judge. For an attorney, that's a fairly ordinary occurrence--but I was pleased for my client because the judge signed the version of the order that I submitted instead of the version submitted by the opposing attorney. The other version took unnecessary jabs at my client and expanded significantly on the judge's ruling to give the other party unprecedented control over my client.

I followed the judge's ruling in the courtroom without trying to overly burden or favor either side. I was faithful to the law and the standard practices of my field. And I'm proud of the outcome I achieved for my client. This feels like a good win after an absolute bruiser of a trial.

07/04/2025

Happy Independence Day!

I'm neither a politician nor a poet, so I'm going to just offer a little advice to keep you "free" in only the most immediate sense of the word:
✅️Don't drink and drive this weekend. Not one drink, not one motor. 🚗🚙🛻🚤🏍
✅️Don't blow off your fingers--or anyone else's--and don't start any fires. Be safe with fireworks. 🎆🎇🧨
✅️Guns are dangerous weapons and bullets follow the laws of physics: DO NOT FIRE BULLETS INTO THE AIR--THEY WILL COME BACK DOWN AND THEY CAN KILL🎯

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!