Author: Leigh Daniel, Attorney at Law

If you and your spouse (or partner) make more than $30,000 a month, the Rule 32 guidelines that govern child support calculation in Alabama don’t apply.  The calculation only goes up to $30,000 as of June 2023, revised from a cap of $20,000.00.  If you are contemplating child support and…

As a domestic relations attorney, every so often I meet with a person who wants to know if he or she can annul their marriage. It’s a term that entered pop culture and developed misconceptions of it’s requirements as well as it’s utility. I’m sure that you have heard a…

A conviction for domestic violence in the state of Alabama, comes with a presumption that the offender should not be awarded custody. Don’t count on this as a blanket statement. Each case will need to be evaluated for the facts because some harassment cases can be labeled as domestic violence…

You may have heard the term mediation in the context of litigation.  It’s a common way in Madison County and the surrounding areas, that cases are resolved.  In mediation, the parties hash out their differences with a neutral mediator.  Most of the time they are represented but sometimes the parties…

If you are reading this article, you probably have a long list of reasons to divorce. They are all perfectly valid reasons; but, this article is suggesting that you press pause to thoughtfully consider the following questions: Am I ready to end my marriage? What does life look like if…

I was speaking to a parent who has joint custody and asking him what are the most important things when it comes to co-parenting. His top three suggestions are: Communicating effectively. What causes it to be effective?  In writing, concise, neutral, and non blaming.  Don’t always respond immediately if you…

The most important you have as is raising your children to be happy, healthy individuals. When you are divorced this can become a greater challenge as you navigate your thoughts and feelings about your ex spouse. How you treat them and how you interact with them in front of and…

Disputes about child custody are often the most stressful part of a divorce. It is better for all involved if a divorcing couple can come to a child custody agreement without court intervention, but that is not always possible. If the terms of your children’s upbringing are to be decided…

In jurisdictions where joint legal custody is the norm, co-parenting can be a constant struggle. You hope that you will be able to resolve things without fighting but the threat is ever present when you have a difficult parent who wants to be contrary. And remember, you divorced for good…

The first step is establishing a budget when you are preparing to move out.  It sometimes seems impossible to figure it all out but you can do it.  The first question is where will you live?  Do you have someone you can stay with?  Parents, relatives, friends?   You don’t want…