ga-submit-order

Post-Hearing Order Submission (Georgia)

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. This skill is a procedural and drafting aid, not legal advice. Verify current rules, deadlines, and venue-specific practices before filing. Pair with substantive review by counsel where stakes warrant.

Use this skill after a Georgia court hearing when:

1. The judge ruled from the bench and directed a party to draft the order; or
2. The court issued a ruling and directed the prevailing party to submit a proposed order; or
3. The parties agreed to a result and need to memorialize it.

Entry of an order in Georgia — O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58

In Georgia, an order or judgment is entered when it is signed by the judge and filed with the clerk — under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58, "entry" means filing. The signed-and-filed date is what starts post-judgment clocks (motions, appeals). The proposed order you submit is not operative until the judge signs it and it is filed by the clerk.

Cardinal rule — conform the order to the ruling

The proposed order must reflect exactly what the judge ruled. If the oral ruling is ambiguous:

• Listen to the record (court recording or reporter; obtain through the clerk).
• Confer with opposing counsel on the proper wording.
• Do not embellish — if the court did not address a sub-issue, do not slip a finding into the order.

Standard post-hearing workflow

1. Promptly (per the court's directive, or within a few days) prepare the proposed order in .docx. Use ga-draft-order for the structure.
2. Circulate to opposing counsel "as to form" where the assigned judge's standing order or local practice requires it — opposing counsel approves that the language reflects the ruling (not the substance) before submission.
3. Transmit the proposed order to chambers by the method local practice requires: e-file the proposed order, attach a lead sheet, and/or email a Word copy to the assigned judge's staff attorney so chambers can edit and route it for signature.
4. The judge signs the order.
5. The clerk files (enters) the order under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58 — this is the operative event.
6. Serve all parties with a certificate of service under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-5; registered e-filers are served through the system, any party not on the system by mail or hand delivery.

Transmittal cover email — Word copy to staff attorney

To:      [Staff Attorney / Chambers — assigned judge]
CC:      [Opposing counsel]
Subject: Proposed Order — [Case Short Title], Case No. [Number]

Dear [Staff Attorney / Chambers]:

Pursuant to the Court's ruling at the [hearing date] hearing on
[Motion Title], I am submitting the attached proposed Order
reflecting the Court's ruling.

I circulated the proposed Order to [opposing counsel name] on
[date]. [Opposing counsel] [has approved it as to form / objects
on the following grounds: ...].

A Word-format copy is attached; the proposed Order [has been / will
be] e-filed under the case today.

Please let me know if any revisions are required before signature.

Respectfully,
[Name]
[Georgia Bar No. or "Pro Se"]
[Phone]
[Email]

"As to form" approval

Where the judge requires it, opposing counsel signs or initials at the foot of the proposed order:

                                   SO ORDERED, this ____ day of
                                   __________, 20__.

                                   ___________________________
                                   Judge, [Superior / State] Court
                                   [Circuit] Judicial Circuit

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

___________________________
[Opposing Counsel Name]
Georgia Bar No. ######
Attorney for [Party]

"As to form" means opposing counsel agrees the language reflects the ruling, not that opposing counsel agrees with the substance of the ruling. If opposing counsel objects on substance but agrees on form, say so explicitly in the transmittal email.

After the order is entered

Once the judge signs and the clerk files (enters) the order:

1. Download the entered order from the e-filing docket.
2. Verify it matches the proposed order — judges sometimes interlineate changes before signing.
3. Calendar any deadlines the order imposes (e.g., "Defendant shall serve supplemental responses within 14 days") and note that appeal/post-judgment clocks run from entry under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58.
4. Serve all parties with a certificate of service; mail any party not on the e-filing system.
5. Track compliance — if the other side does not comply, prepare the next step (motion to compel, motion for contempt, motion to enforce judgment).

Special case — orders following a bench trial or evidentiary hearing

Orders after a bench trial or evidentiary hearing typically include findings of fact and conclusions of law under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-52. Draft them carefully:

• Findings of fact — numbered, neutrally stated, each supported by record evidence.
• Conclusions of law — separately numbered, citing the controlling rule or statute.
• Order / decree — the actual disposition.

The court is not bound by either party's proposed findings, but well-drafted findings make it easier for the judge to adopt them.

Special case — family-law final orders

A final divorce or other domestic order is a Superior Court judgment. Confirm the order resolves every required issue (equitable division, support, custody/parenting time, and child support with the worksheet attached) and that all pre-judgment standing-order filings are on file before the court enters the decree.

Composition

• For drafting the proposed order: ga-draft-order
• For drafting any accompanying notice: ga-draft-note
• For getting the order before the court / chambers channels: ga-fulton, ga-cobb, ga-gwinnett
• For hearing prep and the oral ruling itself: ga-hearings
• For getting the matter heard in the first place: ga-schedule-hearing
• For deadlines that run from entry: ga-deadlines
• For format: ga-statewide-format
• For e-filing the entered order: ga-file-packet

References

• references/post-hearing-protocol.md — entry under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58 and chambers transmittal
• references/proposed-order-transmittal.md — Word copy / lead sheet to staff attorney; "as to form" circulation
• references/findings-of-fact-conclusions-of-law.md