Local Firm for Family Law
If an administrative agency (DHR) has made a decision that adversely affects you, you have options. Here’s one path to take. What can you do if an Alabama administrative agency issues a decision that you feel is wrong and affects you negatively? …
Foster and Adoptive Parents Should Know How to Appeal a DHR Decision in 2026Read More
This comes up all the time. Should permanency for a child be delayed again and again for a parent that refuses to work their services? The answer her is authoritatively, No. In R.R. v. Chilton County Department of Human Resources (Ala.Civ.App …
"Delay is always someone's friend in a conflict." When the conflict involves permanency for a child, the "someone" is never the child. It's a well known maxim in Juvenile Court that “[t]ermination of parental rights shall be given priority over all …
Foster and Adoptive Parents Should Know This in 2026 About Delaying a Child’s PermanencyRead More
In order for the Juvenile Court to terminate the parental rights of a foster child, the Juvenile Court must find clear and convincing evidence that: 1) The legal parents are unable or unwilling to discharge their responsibilities to the child, and …
Several amendments to Alabama’s Adoption Code became effective on January 1, 2026. Among the sections amended was § 26-10E-4, which addresses venue. For the purpose of adoption proceedings, venue means the legally proper county and court where a …
What Adoptive Parents Need to Know About Venue in 2026 – The Impact of a Five-Letter WordRead More
Every foster adoptive parent should be conversant with the phrase "no viable alternatives." It's a clunky combination of words that simple means, "Guys, we don't want to terminate a natural parents rights to their child if there is any other way. If …
In Foster Adoption Cases, Can Relative Serve as Simple Pass Through to Parent?Read More
Here is How Foster and Adoptive Parents Should Prepare for Trial This article will address foster and adoptive parents. Specifically, those who are preparing for a trial on behalf of their foster children. Hearings or trials pertaining to child …
Preparing Foster and Adoptive Parents For Trial – Alabama 2026Read More
In M.A.J. v. S.F., 994 So.2d 280 (Ala. Civ. App. 2008) the Appellate Court made a remarkable ruling for children in the care of foster adoptive parents. Specifically regarding the 12-month rule: “[a]t some point, ... the child's need for …
In M.W. v. Houston County Dep't of Human Res., 773 So.2d 484 (Ala. Civ. App. 2000) the Appellate Court explained the principle that the child’s need for permanency must, at some point, take priority over a parent's unsuccessful attempts at …
Who Will Make This Argument for the Child? Foster and Adoptive ParentsRead More
