Helping You Protect What Matters Most.

We advocate for arrangements that hold up over time, including modifications when circumstances change.

Alabama uses two different standards for changing a custody order, and which one applies depends on how custody is already set up. If one parent already has primary custody, the tougher McLendon standard applies - the parent asking for a change must show that circumstances have significantly changed and that switching custody would clearly benefit the child, enough to outweigh the disruption of moving homes. That standard is hard to meet on purpose, since it protects an arrangement that's already work-ing. If parents share joint custody, or neither one has primary custody, the easier Couch standard applies instead — the court just decides what's best for the child right now, the same way it would in a first-time custody case.

Either standard can play out as a contested case decided at a hearing, or as an uncontested case where the parents agree and the judge reviews it.

Even agreed changes still need a judge's approval to confirm they're genuinely in the child's best interest.

When a parent falls behind on court-ordered support, we help pursue wage withholding, contempt actions, and other enforcement remedies to get payments back on track. We also defend parents facing enforcement actions themselves, including contempt petitions and threatened license suspensions.

Support orders aren't set in stone. A significant change in income, a new custody arrangement, or a shift in a child's needs can justify asking the court to increase, decrease, or otherwise modify an existing order.

From stepparent adoptions to more complex placements, we guide families through the required filings and hearings.

Alabama recognizes several paths to adoption - stepparent adoption, relative or kinship adoption, agency and private placements, and adult adoption - each with its own consent, notice, and hearing requirements. We help you identify the right path and prepare the petition, required con-sents, and any home study the court calls for.

Some adoptions raise harder questions, like locating an absent parent, terminating parental rights when a parent won't consent or can't be found, or coordinating an out-of-state placement under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. We walk you through what the court will expect at each stage, so a final decree isn't delayed by a step nobody warned you about.

If the Department of Human Resources has gotten involved, we can represent you in that process as well - see our DHR Defense page for more.

A DHR case usually starts with a report - from a school, hospital, relative, or the statewide hotline - that leads to a home visit and interviews with the family. Investigators move quickly and often ask a parent to sign a safety plan on the spot; we try to step in before that conversation happens, so you understand what you're agreeing to.

If the agency indicates a finding against you or opens a dependency case, it can affect an ongoing divorce or custody matter and follow you well beyond the investigation itself. We represent parents through shelter care hearings, dependency court, and service plans, and pursue an appeal when a finding doesn't reflect what actually happened.

When a child's legal parentage needs to be established, contested, or con-firmed, we handle the petition and the custody or support questions that follow. Visit our Paternity page for more.

Unmarried parents can establish paternity voluntarily by signing an Acknowledgment of Paternity, or, when there's a dispute, through a court action that typically involves genetic testing. Until it's legally established, an unmarried father generally has no enforceable right to custody or visi-tation, and a mother can't obtain a support order against him.

If you were named as a father in error, or an acknowledgment was signed based on mistaken or false information, Alabama law allows a limited window to challenge it - we evaluate whether disestablishment is available before that window closes. Once parentage is resolved, we handle the custody, visitation, and support arrangements that follow.

An uncontested divorce can provide a simpler, more affordable path forward when you and your spouse are able to agree on the major issues involved in ending your marriage. Our attorneys can guide you through the process, prepare the necessary paperwork, and help ensure your agreement properly addresses issues such as property and debt division, child custody and visitation, child support, and other matters unique to your family. We handle the legal details from start to finish so you can focus on moving forward with confidence.

When you and your spouse cannot agree on some or all of the issues involved in your divorce, having an experienced attorney in your corner can make all the difference. Our attorneys represent clients in contested divorces involving child custody and visitation, child support, alimony, property and debt division, retirement accounts, businesses, and other complex financial or family issues. Whether your case can be resolved through negotiation or requires a trial, we’ll help you understand your options, protect your interests, and work toward a resolution that allows you to move forward.