If you are facing a tough, or “touchy” situation that involves family members, it can be a good idea to include a Cullman County family law attorney. Family law attorneys handle all legal issues involving family members, including divorces, child custody and child support issues, division of assets, paternity issues, adoption, alimony, and modification of alimony or child support. Since not every Cullman County family law attorney will have experience in every category of family law, it is important that you ensure the lawyer you choose is knowledgeable and experienced in your particular issue.
Your family law attorney will provide you with necessary advice that will guide you through the process of filing required paperwork, negotiations, and a potential lawsuit. When there are documents created for the process, you can expect your family lawyer to ensure legally binding agreements with clear terms and conditions. If your family law issue ends up in court, there are no guarantees about the outcome, but when you have a trusted Cullman County family law attorney by your side, you can be sure that your rights have been properly protected.
What Services Does a Cullman County Family Law Attorney Provide?
Choosing a Cullman County family law attorney can seem like an overwhelming proposition at a time when you are already feeling vulnerable and unsure. Ideally, the attorney you choose will have significant experience dealing with your particular issue and will be an excellent communicator, putting you at ease, answering your questions, and taking some of the anxiety about your situation away. Your family law attorney will likely have experience in many aspects of family law and will use this experience to your advantage.
Overview of Hankey Law Firm Family Law Services
At Hankey Law Firm, we know that you have many choices when considering a Cullman County family law attorney. We believe that once you have spoken to attorney Shelbie Hankey, your choice will become clear. Our level of communication with clients is unmatched. We always go the extra mile to ensure every client knows what is happening with their case, and what they can expect in the near future. We implement a client portal where documents related to your case are placed. You will always have access to the most up-to-date information on your case. At Hankey Law Firm, we handle the following types of family law issues:
- Divorce is virtually always fraught with emotions. These emotions can prevent you from seeing what you need to do today to secure your future. This is where your family law attorney comes in. When your instinct is to give your spouse whatever they want simply to have the divorce over and done with, your attorney can be your advocate, ensuring your financial future is as secure as possible. While we tend to think that younger couples are those that are divorcing at a higher rate, in fact, the divorce rate of baby boomers has been steadily increasing. This so-called “gray” divorce, among adults aged 50 and older has doubled since the 1990s. These divorces, while rarely including children, can have some complex issues involved, particularly as it relates to alimony and retirement fund division.
- Alimony in the state of Alabama is either interim, periodic, or rehabilitative. Interim alimony is awarded to the lower-earning spouse during the time the divorce is pending. Periodic alimony is usually only awarded in marriages of long duration and usually to a spouse that gave up career opportunities or education to benefit the other spouse’s education or career. Spouses who gave up those opportunities to be a homemaker and raise the couple’s children may also receive periodic alimony if the marriage lasted a considerable length of time. Rehabilitative alimony usually lasts no longer than five years and is meant to provide the lower-earning spouse with additional funds while they secure education, skills, or training to provide a better-paying job.
- Child custody and child support are often the most contentious part of a divorce. While child support is based on a specific formula, therefore, tends not to be as contentious, child custody brings lots of emotions. Both parents may believe they are the better parent and deserve primary physical custody—or sole custody. The court makes these decisions based on the best interests of the child and will award both physical custody and legal custody. Physical custody refers to which parent the children will primarily reside with, while the other parent will have visitation. Joint custody is awarded in some situations, although it can be difficult for joint custody to work unless the parents live in close proximity to one another and are able to work together for the good of the children. Legal custody refers to making decisions about the religious upbringing and health and educational decisions for the children. Legal custody is often joint, with one parent being awarded primary physical custody.
- Paternity issues can be sensitive, yet important. For a married couple, the husband is presumed to be the father of the child unless otherwise proven. DNA testing has made paternity issues much quicker and easier than in the past.
- Modifications of child support or alimony may be necessary when the financial or other circumstances of either party have changed significantly. A receiving spouse that remarries or is cohabitating with another adult can trigger a modification. The loss of a job, retirement, or other downturn in finances for the paying spouse may also trigger a modification request. Child support modifications are usually based on unexpected, special needs of the child.
- Division of marital assets depends on first determining which assets are marital and which are separate. Because Alabama is an equitable distribution state rather than a community property state, assets are divided fairly, rather than equally.
- Adoption issues must be handled by an experienced Blount County family law attorney, whether the adoption is private, or through the foster care system. There are simply too many legal issues that need an attorney’s skill and experience to ensure legality.
How Can You Choose a Good Cullman County Family Law Attorney?
Because the right family law attorney can make a real difference in the outcome of your family law issue—as well as how you make it through this emotional process—your choice of attorney is extremely important. You must be able to trust your attorney and you need a family law attorney who is serious about your case and really listens to you.
Communication is key in the lawyer-client relationship. If you don’t feel your attorney is listening to you or taking you seriously, then you won’t feel confident in your attorney’s ability to secure the best outcome for you. You will be asked to confide sensitive or even embarrassing information to your attorney, and you need to be able to do this openly, trusting your confidential information to the attorney.
Whether you are facing a divorce, looking at a contentious child custody case, considering adoption, or facing another family law issue, your choice of a Cullman County family law attorney can ease your mind and ensure better results. During the process of a family law case, your attorney becomes your partner in the process. Within the boundaries of the law, your attorney will help you achieve the outcome you need and deserve.
Some people choose a Cullman County family law attorney by speaking to family, friends, or co-workers and asking for a referral. Others look online, selecting several attorneys that seem likely to be a good fit. After speaking to these attorneys, your choice is usually fairly clear. You will feel more comfortable with some attorneys over others, and some will have more experience with your specific issue. In the end, however, the level of trust you feel in the attorney will be your guiding principle.
Hiring a Cullman County Family Law Attorney from Hankey Law Firm
At the Hankey Law Firm, we recognize that many of our clients reach out to us during the worst time in their lives. Our goal is to help each client make sense of their current circumstances, helping them find their way out of a difficult or harmful situation into a hopeful future. It is normal that you are worried and anxious about your current situation. After speaking to attorney Shelbie Hankey, we believe you will have a better understanding of how your case will proceed, giving you some peace of mind with the process.
Few people really understand the legal process. We will help you make sense of it, answering all your questions in a thorough, yet easy-to-understand manner. Once you hire a Cullman County family law attorney from Hankey Law Firm, you will have a professional, experienced attorney working diligently on your behalf. Contact Hankey Law Firm today for a comprehensive evaluation of your family law issue.