Child Custody

As a working mom, I can relate to my clients with young children. It’s important to understand the specific needs of the children and the parents.” — Leigh Byers

Few issues in family law are as emotional and polarizing as child custody. Parents want to protect their children, not see them used as pawns in a contentious divorce, but without special care and representation, that is far too often the end result.

As experienced family law attorneys, we actively work to handle custody and child support issues with care – allowing each side to work toward an arrangement that is in the best interests of the children caught in the middle.

We work with our clients to create plans that are tailored for each family to address individual needs, while also taking into account your children and their specific needs.

Determining Child Custody and Child Support in Alabama

In the state of Alabama, the framework for determining custody of children in divorce cases is based on a “best interest” standard. This means that the court takes into consideration several factors to determine what decision is in the child’s best interests.

Two aspects to custody in Alabama are determined by the court: legal custody, how decisions are made; and physical custody, how time with the children is shared between parents.  Both legal and physical custody for a child can be joint (between two parents) or sole (given to one parent).

For child support, there are guidelines that determine how much one parent will pay to the other. The guidelines involve factors such as each parent’s monthly income, the number of children in question, medical insurance expenses for the children, work-related child care expenses and the amount of time each parent will spend with the children based on the custody agreement.

Contact us today and see how we can help you and your family in your time of need.