Nolan Byers, PC.

Frances Ross Nolan

Frances Ross Nolan
Founding Attorney – Mountain Brook, AL

Divorce is challenging, even in the best of circumstances, and it represents so much change about which clients feel helpless. My primary goal is to empower my clients to find their agency in the process. All change is hard, but some change can be positive and transformational even for those who did not choose it. By focusing on what we can control and by encouraging informed choices, most cases can be settled outside of court. For those cases that cannot, our judicial system offers us a path to conclusion. My objective in every case is to lead the client to an outcome they have had a hand in shaping that enables them to move forward in their life with hope.
Frances Nolan

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About Frances Ross Nolan

Frances is not your typical attorney. She was inspired to become a lawyer by the struggles of her parents and numerous friends for whom the divorce process was especially challenging and by a longing to make a difference.

Raised in Birmingham most of her life, Frances is the daughter of an Episcopal priest and a theological educator. The youngest of four children whose parents divorced after 25 years of marriage, Frances has personal insight about the experience of divorce from a child’s perspective. The law is a second career for Frances; she went back to law school after more than twenty years of working in sales and management, and after spending several years as a full-time mom. Divorce law provided the perfect marriage of her personal experiences, her educational background, and her longing to help people through challenging times. Frances brings new meaning to the term, “counselor at law.”

After practicing family law at The Crittenden Firm, PC for eight years, she and colleague Leigh Byers co-founded Nolan Byers, PC. Together, they designed a boutique family law firm that is dedicated to empowering clients who face the stress inherent to divorce and other matrimonial law matters.

Frances works to understand each client’s goals and concerns and to educate them about options for achieving their desired outcomes. For some, the traditional court process provides the structure and security required. For others, private, out-of-court methods may be preferred.

Leader in Collaborative Divorce and Family Practice

Frances is not your typical attorney. She was inspired to become a lawyer by the struggles of her parents and numerous friends for whom the divorce process was especially challenging and by a longing to make a difference.

Raised in Birmingham most of her life, Frances is the daughter of an Episcopal priest and a theological educator. The youngest of four children whose parents divorced after 25 years of marriage, Frances has personal insight about the experience of divorce from a child’s perspective. The law is a second career for Frances; she went back to law school after more than twenty years of working in sales and management, and after spending several years as a full-time mom. Divorce law provided the perfect marriage of her personal experiences, her educational background, and her longing to help people through challenging times. Frances brings new meaning to the term, “counselor at law.”

After practicing family law at The Crittenden Firm, PC for eight years, she and colleague Leigh Byers co-founded Nolan Byers, PC. Together, they designed a boutique family law firm that is dedicated to empowering clients who face the stress inherent to divorce and other matrimonial law matters.

Frances works to understand each client’s goals and concerns and to educate them about options for achieving their desired outcomes. For some, the traditional court process provides the structure and security required. For others, private, out-of-court methods may be preferred.

Education
  • Law School: Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, cum laude
  • Student Materials Editor, Cumberland Law Review

Specializations / Certifications

  • Certified Collaborative Lawyer
  • Lead Counsel Certified
  • SuperLawyers Rising Star
Bar Admissions
  • State of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court of Alabama, Middle District
  • Local courts, Jefferson and Shelby counties
Bar/Professional Activities
  • Cofounder and Inaugural President, Birmingham Collaborative Alliance
  • Member and Liaison for American Bar Association Sections of Dispute Resolution and Family Law.
  • Member and former chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Family Law Section, American Bar Association
  • Advisory Council Member, Alternative Dispute Resolution section, Alabama State Bar Association
  • Member, Alabama Custodial Laws Revision Task Force
  • Member, Collaborative Law Act Committee, Alabama Law Institute
  • Official Observer, Uniform Law Commission’s Collaborative Law Act Committee
  • Member, International Academy of Collaborative Practitioners
  • Member, Family Law Section, American Bar Association
  • Member, Family Law Section, Alabama State Bar Association
  • Member, Family Law Section, Women Lawyers section, Birmingham Bar Association
  • Member, Birmingham Inn of Court
Community Service
  • Board Member, Oasis Counseling
  • Past President, Indian Springs School Alumni Council
  • Past Member, ex officio, Board of Directors, Indian Springs School
  • Member, Rotary Club of Shades Valley
Additional Educational Background
  • San Francisco State University
  • Indian Springs School