Well, first and foremost being in a courtroom battle is one of the most stressful times in anyone's life. Whether your counsel is appointed or retained you want and I would say need to feel comfortable with your representation. If you are not happy and don't feel comfortable it is wise... View More

The short answer is YES. What you propose is a step parent adoption and they are very common. In one procedure/hearing you will terminate birth dads rights and have your husband adopt the child with a new birth certificate, last name, everything. There are some steps advised and you will need to... View More

Your order should cover what is to occur with uncovered medical expenses and deductibles. If it does and he is in violation then you can take him to court to hold him in contempt and enforce the provisions. If for some reason there is no such provisions you need to go back to court to have them... View More

Your thoughts on this are correct. You do need to go through the court system to end child support. You may be able to end child support without changing custody but you will have to provide an acceptable reason to the judge as to why child support would be waived. As always this should likely... View More

Obviously, you need to hire an Alabama lawyer to get your child back. You have stumbled upon something I spend a lot to time explaining to fathers in Alabama. Your name on the birth certificate and signing the affidavit of paternity at the hospital only creates a presumption of paternity and does... View More

There is a whole lot to unbundle in your scenario and you really need to set up and have a consultation with an attorney with experience in the particular venue where your case will be filed. It is going to take some finesse to work your situation to your advantage.

I suggest you consult your retained attorney on this issue and ask him or her to explain your options. If they cannot do so adequately the process would be to let them go and seek out another attorney rather than to keep them retained and seek opinions from other attorneys. No matter how you... View More

Tennessee no longer has jurisdiction in your case. You reside in TN, your child resides in TN and the father lives in TN. It is no more expensive to return to court in AL than it is to return to court in TN. There is a procedure to domestic, enforce and modify the TN judgment than any lawyer... View More

I cannot tell you how much confusion there is out there on the streets with this concept of "abandonment." Once upon a time (not as long ago as you would think but long enough ago that it doesn't bear more than a few words to address) you had to prove cause to get a divorce. There... View More

It all depends on where your divorce was handled. If your divorce was in GA you can file in GA as GA would have jurisdiction as long as at least one person with custody continues to reside there. Your ex may try to transfer it to Alabama after filing her own case here but you can mount a good... View More

If you wish to discuss this matter off line please feel free to contact me. This type of adult on child abuse makes me very angry and I would rather not air my feelings on this subject here as some may find it offensive. To start with the ages, depending on the birth dates involved, do not... View More

You should immediately consult an attorney or file yourself to have your child support payments suspended or at least reduced. One of the big secrets of child support that they should make you aware of when you are first ordered to pay but don't is that if something happens in your life that... View More

You have to go back to court for you child support to be reset with a new calculation done for the remaining child. By the way, it does not cut in half.

There is always temporary relief or as the law calls it pendente lite relief available and you need to seek it yesterday. You are really behind on these issues and he should not have and would not have been allowed to do some of the things he has already done if you had a lawyer and could get... View More

A lot going on here and let me say you need to get an attorney involved to make sure this all goes as quickly as possible. So to answer one of your questions you should definitely hire an attorney. Venues in Alabama vary on whether they will reach back to charge a father with back child support... View More

Ok, you have 2 different questions really. First, unless there is a court order is place directing otherwise your ex-husband cannot control whether you take your children out of state. Now, you cannot move without following the relocations procedures but as far as out of state trips or visits go... View More

There is no statute of limitations on the collection of child support. Each monthly payment in automatically considered reduced to a judgment as it becomes due.

The answer below it correct. Child support in Alabama terminates at 19 which, by the way, is a year longer than most every other state. There are however 2 exceptions. If the child has special needs by virtue of a disability a court could order child support to continue. In addition if you have... View More

A lot of interesting things going on with your fact pattern. I would suggest that given the number of moving parts involved that you go ahead and set up a more individualized consult with an attorney rather than trust solely the bits of information gained in general responses here. I will say... View More

Although the lawyers before you provided excellent responses and advice I feel the need to weigh in on this question as it comes up so often in one form or another. First, read your contract. Your contract should spell out exactly what you are to be charged for and what is free. What you will... View More