Christie Ayotte Baer

I specialize in family law and estate planning but I also help many entrepreneurs with their business needs, and offer probate assistance.

I received my law degree from Emory University, and my undergraduate degree from Smith College. They are good schools, but I don't think I am smarter than my clients just because I am lawyer or because I have fancy degrees.

I am an entrepreneur and a businessperson at heart. Before forming my own firm, I worked with some good attorneys at a small Alanta firm both as an attorney, and before law school, as a paralegal.

I am a trained Guardian Ad Litem who accepts cases in Chatham County, which means I help judges in difficult custody cases decide what to do by fact-finding, and making recommendations.

I have mediated more than 225 landlord-tenant cases in Fulton County and DeKalb County Magistrate Courts (aka, "dispossessory court"), helping landlords and tenants come up with fair and reasonable agreements that benefit both parties. I have only impassed about 11% of the cases assigned to me.

Before law school, I owned another business called Signature Projects LLC, which provided marketing advice and operational services to political candiates and elected officials, other businesses, and non-profits. Before that, I was the business manager of Georgia Equality, a statewide political interest group that advocates for equality for the LGBT community. In my spare time, I did freelance writing, publishing several op-ed pieces in Southern Voice, the Washington Blade, and the Advocate.

Places I Have Volunteered:

• Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (Guardian Ad Litem, Adoptions Attorney)
• Hotlanta Squares (President Emeritus)
• DeKalb County Alternative Dispute Resolution Center
• Atlanta Humane Society (adoptions counselor)
• Atlanta Pride Committee (board member)

When Not Working, I Enjoy:

• Trolling yard sales and antique shops
• Square dancing
• Running

What I Do:

• Adoptions (including 2nd parent adoptions)
• Divorce/Custody Disputes
• Child Support
• Alimony Modifications
• Legitimations/Paternity
• Domestic Partner Agreements/Dissolutions
• Contracts
• Negotiations
• Litigation
• Incorporations
• Wills, Trusts & Powers of Attorney
• Mediation

For my formal bio, go to my website: