Recent Blog Posts
Is Alabama a Common-Law Marriage State?
Not all states require couples to follow all of the legal formalities of marriage in order to claim certain benefits of married couples. Many states will recognize a marriage for purposes of tax benefits, child adoption and custody, medical decision-making, etc. if the couple meets certain requirements even without filling out a marriage certificate. … Read More »
Calculating Alimony in Alabama
In the ideal divorce, the parties will jointly and amicably agree to things like child custody, child support, property division, and alimony payments. Unfortunately, divorces are often difficult and involve charged emotions, and parties often strongly disagree on many elements. Alimony, in particular, can be a difficult pill to swallow for the paying party. … Read More »
Business Disputes in Divorce
Divorce can make your personal life unpleasant in a myriad of ways, but if you’re a small business owner or share property of substantial value with your former spouse, divorce can have serious financial and professional consequences, as well. Fighting to maintain a controlling share of your business or a fair portion of your… Read More »
America’s Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement Selection
May 13, 2019 – Announcing the Lifetime Achievement selection of Lana K. Hawkins among America’s Top 100 Attorneys®. Lifetime Achievement selection to America’s Top 100 Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional attorneys whose accomplishments and impact on the legal profession merit a Lifetime Achievement award. Selection is not… Read More »
Helping Your Kids Through the Process of Moving to a New Home after Divorce
Divorces are hard on everyone involved. Divorces can be particularly difficult for shared children who have to deal not only with the change in emotions and relationship between the parents, but also have to deal with new and often complicated living situations. Many ex-spouses enter shared custody arrangements, which means the kids will have… Read More »
Failing to Pay Child Support Can Land You in Jail Like R. Kelly
Rapper R. Kelly is currently the subject of a number of incredibly serious allegations regarding the physical and sexual abuse and subjugation of a number of young women, including his ex-wife. But these allegations are not the reason that the rapper is currently in custody; he made bail for those charges. Instead, R. Kelly… Read More »
Establishing Paternity in Alabama
Paternity, the legal status of being a father, carries a host of rights and responsibilities beginning with the birth of a child (or the establishment of paternity) and continuing on for the life of the child. In a previous post, we discussed the importance of establishing paternity for Alabama parents. The State of Alabama… Read More »
Signs You Should Consider Divorce
No one goes into a marriage planning on getting divorced. We get married expecting to stay with the same person for the rest of our lives. When the marriage starts to deteriorate, there are any number of reasons why we want to try to fix the relationship and make it work: love, children, financial… Read More »
Same-Sex Adoption in Alabama
Alabama has a tepid relationship towards LGBT rights. While Alabama, like all other states, recognizes the right of same-sex couples to marry following the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the conservative state legislature and courts are often on the lookout for ways to limit the scope of that decision. Read on… Read More »
Who Gets the Dog in an Alabama Divorce?
Divorces are always difficult and often involve contentious fights over specific assets. One common dispute that arises: What happens to the family pet? Illinois recently passed a law that treats pets more like children in a divorce, following on the heels of a similar law in Alaska. Courts in Illinois will now consider the… Read More »
