Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 298 rules apply across Superior Court of Cobb County. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 97
  • Applies to
    Verification form

    A completed Verification form must accompany the adult name-change petition.

  • Applies to
    Publication notice

    Publication is required in every adult name-change case.

  • Applies to
    Final order on motion for contempt

    The final order on a motion for contempt must select only one of the alternatives provided in the form.

Service

All 82
  • Applies to
    Protective order petition
    Service
    Electronic service to clerk

    Immediately after electronically filing protective-order petitions, a TPO Office representative must notify the Clerk of Court or designee of the filing.

  • Applies to
    Original petition or original complaint
    Service
    Personal service to all parties

    Parties must serve other parties with original petitions and original complaints by personal service or another means acceptable under the Civil Practice Act of Georgia.

  • Applies to
    Subsequent electronic document
    Service
    Electronic service to all parties

    Except where the Order provides otherwise, parties must electronically serve subsequent electronic documents on other parties through the EFSP, which delivers all electronically filed and electronically served documents to parties or designated counsel.

Fees

All 38
  • Applies to
    Name change case court filing

    A court filing fee is required for an adult name-change action, with the exact amount available from the clerk’s office.

  • Applies to
    Name change notice publication

    A separate publication fee is required and must be paid separately from the court filing fee by cash, check, or money order.

  • Applies to
    Court filing fee

    A low-income filer may request waiver of the court filing fee by filing the Poverty Affidavit and approval-order forms, but the publication fee remains payable and the case filing cannot be completed until a judge approves the request.

Filing Timing

All 26

  • The clerk cannot complete the case filing until a judge signs the order approving the Poverty Affidavit.

  • Electronic filing does not change applicable filing deadlines.

  • Deadline
    5 business days

    The Clerk must complete all processing needed to update and publicly display case information within five business days after receiving a change-of-address form or notice, regardless of its title.

More categories

View all Superior Court of Cobb County rules
About Judge Kimberly A. Childs

- **Elected:** Judge Kimberly A. Childs was elected in May 2016, winning a contested three-way race for an open seat on the Cobb County Judicial Circuit Superior Court bench - **Re-elected:** re-elected without opposition in 2020 and 2024 - **Prior position:** represented businesses and their owners in a variety of commercial disputes - **Education:** graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University College of Law - **Education:** obtained her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from North Georgia College (now the University of North Georgia) - **Prior position:** worked as a guard at the DeKalb County Jail and later as a paralegal at a small law firm in Cobb County - **Bar:** served as President of the Cobb County Bar Association in 2017-20018 - **Bar:** represents the Cobb Circuit on the State Bar Board of Governors and serves on the State Bar of Georgia's Bench & Bar Committee - **Specialty court:** From 2021 through the end of 2024, Judge Childs was the presiding judge for the Cobb County Drug Treatment Court

- **Courtroom:** 7400 - **Administrative Assistant:** Anna Foster, (770) 528-1826, (770) 528-1830 (Fax) - **Staff Attorney:** Kim Childs, (770) 528-1890 - **Court Reporter:** Staley Robertson, (770) 528-8098 - **Judicial Calendar Coordinator:** Tammy Birchell, (770) 528-1887 - **Calendars:** Judge Childs maintains a master calendar in chambers. This calendar outlines anticipated nonjury court days (criminal, civil, domestic, adoption) as well as jury trial weeks

Common questions about Judge Kimberly A. Childs's rules

How may parties contact Judge Kimberly A. Childs' chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge Kimberly A. Childs' chambers. The rule lists email Anna.Foster@cobbcounty.gov. For a criminal motion hearing, email a stamped filed copy of the motion to Anna Foster, copy the assigned Assistant District Attorney, and state the hearing duration, custody status, and leave or conflict dates.

View ruleSource: page 1, section For Criminal Cases

What rule applies to personal service before Judge Kimberly A. Childs?

The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: method: personal service. The signer states that they personally served the document on the District Attorney that day.

View ruleSource: page 1, section ARRAIGNMENT, PLEA & DISCOVERY ELECTION
Complete rules summary for Judge Kimberly A. Childs

The signer states that they personally served the document on the District Attorney that day.

Civil and domestic hearing requests must be submitted through the appropriate request form, with court response expected within one week and follow-up by phone after ten business days without a response.

For a criminal motion hearing, email a stamped filed copy of the motion to Anna Foster, copy the assigned Assistant District Attorney, and state the hearing duration, custody status, and leave or conflict dates.

To schedule a negotiated plea, email Anna Foster, copy the assigned Assistant District Attorney, and state the client’s custody status and requested leave or conflict dates.

To schedule a non-negotiated or blind plea, email Anna Foster, copy the assigned Assistant District Attorney, and state the client’s custody status, expected plea duration, and requested leave or conflict dates.

To request placement on the next available probation revocation calendar, contact Anna Foster by phone and provide the defendant’s full name and case number.

Arraignment dates are scheduled by the Clerk of the Superior Court.

Attorneys may visit chambers for information about specific court dates.

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