Family Attorneys Acting as Your Personal Advocate in Dothan, Alabama

Legal issues that involve parents and children can be heated, stressful and have a negative impact on a family’s dynamic. If you are going through divorce, a custody matter or other family law matter, it is important to have a lawyer on your side who knows the law, who knows how family courts operate and who knows what will work best for your particular situation. This calls for insight that only comes from years of real-world legal experience.

At Smith Law Firm, our attorneys have extensive experience in handling all kinds of family law matters, even extremely difficult cases. We realize that every case is different, and as your legal representatives, we will work hard to protect your rights and look out for your best interests.

Experience with A Broad Range of Family and Matrimonial Law Matters

Our firm provides guidance and representation with a wide array of family law matters, including:

• Divorce: We represent men and women throughout Alabama, including military personnelfrom Fort Rucker, in contested and uncontested divorces. We help our clients arrive at favorable outcomes through mediation, negotiation and litigation.
  • Property Division: In divorce cases, marital assets and debts are divided. Our lawyers are adept at identifying marital property and nonmarital property and developing strategies that uphold our clients’ best interests. We can help, regardless of how simple or complex their property situation is.
  • Alimony and Support: As part of a divorce, spousal support (also known as alimony) can be granted on a temporary or permanent basis, and it can be paid periodically or as one large lump sum. We can help you reach the best possible alimony arrangement in your situation, whether you believe you are entitled to payments or you may be required to make them.
    • Child Custody and Relocation: There may be changes in situations that can affect custody and the location of one parent. If you are seeking to relocate or looking to challenge a petition to relocate, our attorneys will represent your interests.
    • Child Custody and Visitation: We consistently protect the rights of parents and the best interests of children. If you are a parent in a divorce case or another situation, we can help you seek custody and develop visitation schedules that allow you to be involved in your children’s lives.
  • Child Support: In Alabama, child support is calculated primarily by a predetermined schedule. The calculation will include the gross income of both parents, the number of children, child care costs and health insurance expenses. Whether you will be paying support or receiving support on behalf of your children, we can help ensure that the fair amount is determined.
  • Adoption: We handle stepparent and grandparent adoptions, as well as other domestic and international adoptions. We can assist you with all the legal documents and proceedings to ensure that the adoption goes as smoothly as possible.
  • Domestic Violence: We handle domestic violence issues and restraining orders as family matters and in the context of criminal charges. Whether you are a victim of abuse or have been accused of domestic abuse, we will take the time to understand your side of what occurred and handle your case on an individual basis.
  • Post-decree Modification and Enforcement: Our attorneys help clients in enforcing or changing child custody, child support or spousal support orders. These issues can arise from relocation, change in income, remarriage and other significant life changes.
  • Paternity: Our lawyers assist men and women alike in initiating and defending paternity actions and in dealing with related child support and visitation matters.
  • Divorce in Florida: Our team is licensed to practice family law in Florida, so if you need a good divorce attorney by your side through this tough time, call us.
  • Family Law FAQs: If you still need more information you may visit our family law frequently asked questions page.

Grounds for Fault Divorce in Alabama

In Alabama, you can file for a divorce based on “no fault” or “fault” divorce grounds. The divorce statute law in Alabama lists the grounds (or basis) for a divorce. Here are the possible grounds for a fault divorce in the state:

• Physical incapacitation of either party at the time of marriage
• Voluntary abandonment of the spouse for at least one year
• Adultery
• Imprisonment of the spouse for two years or more with a sentence of more than seven years
• Committing of a crime against nature, whether with a human being or beast, whether before or after the marriage
• Addiction to alcohol or drugs after marriage
• When the court is satisfied of such a complete temperamental incompatibility of the couple that they cannot live together any longer
• When the court determines that the marriage has irretrievably broken down that any further reconciliatory attempts are future or against the parties’ best interests
• In favor of the husband, if the husband was unaware that the wife was pregnant at the time of marriage and it was it was not his child
• For the wife, when she has lived separately from her husband for more than two years
• Incurable insanity and mental hospital confinement for more than five years
• Physical violence against the spouse

Residency Rules for Divorce in Alabama

Under Alabama law, a divorce can be filed in the state when at least one of the parties has been a resident of the state for a minimum of six months prior to filing an application for divorce. This statute has been specifically created to ensure that any individuals residing in another state may not quickly move to Alabama in order to take advantage of the divorce laws of the state.

Mandatory Period of Waiting

Alabama law requires the parties to a divorce to wait for at least 30 days before the final judgment of divorce is entered. This effectively means that the earliest you can expect to obtain a divorce in Alabama is 30 days after you file a complaint for divorce.

It is important to note that Alabama law has also imposed a mandatory waiting period on divorcing couples before they can remarry. After the judgment of divorce has been entered, the divorcing parties are required to wait for a minimum of 60 days before they can remarry.

Protection Order Laws in Alabama

Alabama law addresses the menace of domestic violence by providing victims a with a protection order, which is a legal way to prevent further abuse. In a physical sense, a protection order is but a piece of paper, but it empowers the protected individual to report to the police if the perpetrator of domestic abuse violates the order.

Such a complaint will be followed by the arrest of the accused and a trial will be held for order violation. The abuser could get jail time, which hopefully prevents the victim from future harm.

Legal Help from Our Seasoned Family Law Attorneys

At Smith Law Firm, our experienced family law and divorce attorneys have deep domain knowledge of Alabama family law and will put the force of all their legal acumen and resources behind you to obtain a favorable resolution.

Whether your legal issue involves a complex, high-conflict or high net worth divorce, child custody and visitation, spousal support, child support, property division, adoption, and domestic violence and abuse orders, we have the skills and expertise to help you achieve a satisfactory result.

We are committed to providing you the best legal advice and support for your family law matter at every step of your case. We will:

• Keep you fully informed and updated about the current state laws of relevance to your case, your legal options and your rights
• Handle your court filings, including presentation of the necessary legal documents and responses accurately and diligently
• Help you navigate the legal process while ensuring that you are aware of what happens at each stage and what are the potential outcomes
• Represent you in negotiations with the other party as well as in the court so that your stress of direct involvement with the court or the other party is minimized
• Use all our in-house resources and legal network, and hire external forensic, accounting, appraisal, or other experts as necessary to protect your rights and interests

Choose a Trusted and Resourceful Law Firm

The Alabama divorce and family law attorneys at Smith Law Firm will provide you the most professional and dependable legal representation that you need to achieve your goals in your legal matter.

We are determined to see that you can look forward to a secure future through a swift and successful resolution of your divorce or other family law issues. To schedule your initial consultation with one of our dedicated divorce lawyers, call us at 334-702-1744 today.