YOUR FAMILY LAW ATTORNEYS
Family Law
Domestic Relations, or family law, cases are often filled with emotion and competing interests. When you are contemplating divorce, child custody, child support, or other family law matters, you need an attorney who can help you navigate through the process. The family law attorneys of McDowell Faulk can help you focus on what matters and bring closure to you and your family.
Divorce In Alabama
Whether you live in Autauga, Elmore, Chilton, or Montgomery Counties, you have options when it comes to divorce. To wade through those choices you need one of our experienced domestic relations and family law attorneys. All divorces in Alabama are filed in Circuit Court, and you don’t want to face that alone, but with a capable, ready attorney by your side.
A contested divorce is when the parties can’t agree on how to end their marriage. Whether the disagreement is over whether to get divorced in the first place or how to divide property. Contested divorces require the intervention of the Court which ultimately decides what happens and who gets what. You need a contested divorce attorney on your side in this scenario to protect your rights, to ensure the law is followed, and to make sure you get what you are entitled to. Schedule an appointment today with one of our contested divorce lawyers.
An uncontested divorce is when the parties are in agreement both on the divorce and on how to split the couple’s assets. Uncontested divorces allow the parties to have total control of the outcome and keep any issue from being decided by a judge. Though this sounds simple, it isn’t. Even in an uncontested divorce, you need an experienced attorney to ensure all the paperwork is drafted and filed correctly and that no issue is accidentally overlooked. One of our attorneys will walk you through the petition, the answer and waiver, the settlement agreement, and the final entry of divorce.
Child Custody
The specialized nature of child custody in Alabama means it is best to hire a lawyer to help with the process. Child custody is often a primary concern both during and after a divorce. Whether child custody needs to be established for the first time, or custody needs to be modified because of a material change in circumstances, the attorneys at McDowell, Faulk & Shirley are very experienced in custody matters. Sometimes, parents can work together and agree on custody, but when they can’t, a child custody lawyer can get the Court involved and help you do what is best for you and your child.
A custody agreement is when the parties are in agreement as to the custody of the child in question. Having a child custody agreement allows each parent to have a voice in what the custody arrangement will look like and prevents an outcome controlled completely by the Court. Though having a custody agreement is often ideal, the law has very specific requirements about what must be included in the agreement, such as child support, visitation schedules, child relocation rules, and more. Even with an agreement, it is best to hire a custody lawyer to help you make sure everything is right and that what happens is what you intended.
A custody modification is necessary when there is a need to change a custody arrangement that is already in place. Whether the current custody was due to an agreement of the parties or by a decision of a Court, custody can only be modified if there has been a “material change in circumstances” and only if changing custody is in the “best interests” of the child. Meeting this burden of proof is often difficult and requires the skills of a competent attorney to gather the right facts, apply the right law, and draw the right conclusions to convince a court to modify custody. A child custody modification attorney can help you navigate the minefield that comes with modifying custody and gives you a better chance of achieving your end goals.
The child custody and custody modification lawyers at McDowell, Faulk & Shirley will make sure the parties understand the agreement, that the agreement meets the requirements of the law, and that the terms of the agreement will be enforceable. Our experienced attorneys will also ensure that all the necessary paperwork is drafted and filed correctly so that the process of getting a judge to adopt the agreement will go as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Our Practice Areas
Contact
- P: (334) 365-5924
- F: (334) 365-6016
- 145 W. Main St., Prattville, AL
- office@mcdowellfaulk.com
