Family Law Attorney in Chattanooga

June 14, 2026

A family law attorney handles some of life’s most difficult transitions, including divorce, child custody, support, alimony, and adoption, and engaging local counsel in Chattanooga offers practical advantages over a remote or national service. A Chattanooga attorney appears regularly before the Hamilton County Circuit, Chancery, and juvenile courts, knows the local judges and the practical workings of the docket, and can meet a client in person to review financial records, parenting schedules, and settlement terms. That familiarity with how cases actually proceed in the county where a matter will be decided often shapes both strategy and outcome.

Chattanooga is among Tennessee’s largest cities, with a population of roughly 185,783 as of the 2024 American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), and it sits near the Georgia line, so several of its firms practice in both Tennessee and Georgia state and federal courts. The local field includes practices that concentrate on family law as well as firms that pair domestic relations work with estate planning, business law, criminal defense, or personal injury, giving clients a range of options depending on the complexity of their matter.

Attorneys in Tennessee are licensed and regulated by the Tennessee Supreme Court under its inherent authority over the practice of law. The Board of Law Examiners, part of the judicial branch, handles admission and administers the Tennessee Bar Examination under Supreme Court Rules 6, 7, and 21, while the Board of Professional Responsibility oversees attorney discipline under Supreme Court Rule 9. Family law is governed by Tennessee statute. Grounds for divorce, including the no-fault ground of irreconcilable differences and thirteen fault-based grounds, appear in Tennessee Code Annotated 36-4-101, and a divorce generally cannot be heard until a complaint has been on file for at least 60 days when the couple has no minor children, or 90 days when they have an unmarried child under 18. Child support and alimony fall under TCA 36-5-101, and Tennessee calculates child support using an Income Shares Model under the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04), a program administered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

Family lawyers in Chattanooga typically handle divorce and legal separation, child custody and parenting plans, child support, alimony, division of property and business interests, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, paternity, adoption, and orders of protection. Before retaining counsel, a prospective client can verify a lawyer’s standing through the Board of Professional Responsibility, which maintains an Online Tennessee Attorney Directory at tbpr.org. That directory shows whether an attorney is active or suspended and reflects any public disciplinary history, while private reprimands remain confidential under Court Rule 9. Ethics or consumer complaints about an attorney are directed to the Board of Professional Responsibility rather than to the Division of Consumer Affairs, which handles most other businesses.

Top Family Law Attorney Providers in Chattanooga

1. Conner & Roberts, PLLC

Address: 6142 Shallowford Road, Suite 101, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Phone: (423) 299-4489
Website: https://www.conner-roberts.com
Services: divorce (contested and uncontested), child custody, child support, spousal support and alimony, modifications, adoption
Description: Conner & Roberts is a Chattanooga firm established in 2010 that focuses on family law. Its attorneys include Lisa Conner, Amelia C. Roberts, Leah E. Smith, Nicole Benjamin, and Caleb Chastain, and the firm reports more than 50 years of combined legal experience. The practice handles contested and uncontested divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support and alimony, modifications, and adoption. The firm emphasizes direct attorney access for clients and offers flat-fee pricing with payment plan options, and it has received local “Best of the Best” recognition across several recent years. Its Shallowford Road office serves clients across eastern and middle Tennessee.

2. Samples, Jennings, Clem & Fields, PLLC

Address: 130 Jordan Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Phone: 423-892-2006
Website: https://samplesjennings.com
Services: divorce, adoption, conservatorships, estate planning and probate, business law, personal injury, criminal defense
Description: Samples, Jennings, Clem & Fields is a Chattanooga firm established in 1988 that handles divorce and adoption alongside a broad civil and business practice. The firm reports more than 160 years of combined legal experience and represents clients in both Tennessee and Georgia state and federal courts. Its partners include founding partner Michael S. Jennings, who has been licensed since 1984, along with J. Christopher Clem, James A. Fields, Darald J. Schaffer, Jodi Harris Schaffer, William H. Vetterick, Nancy A. Cogar, and Brient Hobbs. The firm serves Hamilton County and surrounding areas, and its family law work sits within a full-service practice that also covers conservatorships, estate planning and probate, and litigation.

3. Horton, Ballard & Pemerton PLLC

Address: 735 Broad Street, Suite 306, Chattanooga, TN 37402
Phone: (423) 427-4944
Website: https://www.hbplawfirm.com
Services: child custody, child support, divorce, conflict-free divorce, mediation, parental rights, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, property division, spousal support and alimony, visitation, grandparents’ rights, modifications and enforcement
Description: Horton, Ballard & Pemerton is a downtown Chattanooga firm whose primary focus is family law. Its attorneys include Bill W. Pemerton, Carol Morris Ballard, William H. Horton, and Megan England, and the firm reports nearly 100 years of collective legal experience among its partners. The practice covers child custody, child support, divorce including conflict-free divorce, mediation, parental rights, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, property division, spousal support and alimony, visitation, grandparents’ rights, and modifications and enforcement. The firm also handles personal injury, business law, estate planning and probate, and real estate matters, and it serves Chattanooga along with Bradley and Marion counties from its Broad Street office.

Frequently Asked Questions About Family Law Attorney in Chattanooga

Q: How do I verify that a Chattanooga family law attorney is licensed and in good standing?

Tennessee attorneys are licensed by the Tennessee Supreme Court, and the Board of Professional Responsibility maintains an Online Tennessee Attorney Directory at tbpr.org where the public can confirm whether a lawyer is active or suspended and review any public disciplinary history. The Board of Law Examiners handles admission and the bar examination, while the Board of Professional Responsibility handles discipline under Supreme Court Rule 9. Checking the directory before signing an engagement letter is a sensible first step.

Q: What are the grounds for divorce in Tennessee?

Tennessee Code Annotated 36-4-101 sets out the grounds for divorce, which include the no-fault ground of irreconcilable differences as well as thirteen fault-based grounds such as adultery, habitual drunkenness, cruel and inhuman treatment, and abandonment. Couples seeking an uncontested divorce usually proceed on irreconcilable differences, while contested cases may involve one or more fault grounds. A family law attorney can explain which grounds apply to a given situation.

Q: How long does a divorce take to finalize in Chattanooga?

State law sets a minimum waiting period before a divorce can be heard. A divorce generally cannot be finalized until the complaint has been on file for at least 60 days when the couple has no minor children, or at least 90 days when there is an unmarried child under 18. These are minimums rather than typical timelines, and contested matters involving custody or property disputes often take longer to resolve in the Hamilton County courts.

Q: How is child support calculated in Tennessee?

Child support is governed by Tennessee Code Annotated 36-5-101 and the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04), which use an Income Shares Model. That method combines both parents’ incomes to set a basic support obligation, then allocates each parent’s share in proportion to income while accounting for parenting time and certain expenses. The Tennessee Department of Human Services administers the state’s child support program.

Q: Can a Chattanooga attorney handle a divorce that involves Georgia?

Chattanooga sits near the Georgia line, and several Chattanooga firms practice in both Tennessee and Georgia, with attorneys licensed accordingly. A lawyer must be admitted in the state where a case is filed, so a matter that touches both states may involve attorneys licensed in Tennessee and Georgia. Confirming where each spouse resides and where jurisdiction lies is an early step a family law attorney can address.

Q: How do I file a complaint against a family law attorney in Tennessee?

Ethics complaints about a Tennessee attorney are directed to the Board of Professional Responsibility, which investigates and acts on disciplinary matters under Supreme Court Rule 9, rather than to the Division of Consumer Affairs that handles most consumer disputes. Only public discipline is disclosed in the attorney directory; private reprimands and admonitions remain confidential. Keeping copies of the engagement agreement, billing records, and relevant correspondence supports any complaint.