As we represent men in family law and custody cases, it’s helpful to talk a bit about how these types of cases are handled in the state of Alabama. That provides some starting context if you are a father who may be nervous about your future with your kids!
Every one of the 50 US states has its own codes and standards for family law outcomes. Each state has its own state court system that operates differently of any other system.
We are active in representing our clients in Alabama courts, and we know the state system as well as the local system in Alabama communities. That helps you as you fight for your rights and your time with your children.
Essential Rights of Fathers
What are we most usually involved in? We understand that although fathers have basic custody rights, many of these are often infringed on by some interpretations of state and local law, in some potentially troubling ways.
In essence, fathers have the right to custody and visitation according to various criteria. We’ll get to that in a minute. But why would a court shut out a father from a child’s life?
We can look at some of these criteria and discuss how it can be subjective, in ways that require a father to get a good legal team.
Living Conditions
A parent’s living condition is a major component of custody outcomes in court.
But what does that mean?
Too often, it means that someone with an ax to grind can do some type of investigation that can seem a little unfair – or use a person’s lack of income against them to argue that a lower income property is ‘no place for a child.’
So that’s one place we sometimes start in these types of cases. We look at the facts, and whether these have been misconstrued or twisted against a father.
Ability to Provide
Here again, there’s an emphasis on income and stability. But that can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people…
Whether it’s in a hearing, or sitting across from a counterparty’s attorneys, we are active in helping our clients to get their voices heard, in court and in negotiations, so that they have the best chance of representing themselves well in a family law context.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is absolutely an important issue. It’s a tragedy that happens too often in U.S. homes.
That said, any police officer who has responded to more than a few dozen domestic violence calls can tell you the difference between a real call and a frivolous domestic violence claim.
In other words, there’s an entire spectrum of activity that has to be assessed realistically on a case-by-case basis. But if one party or the other doesn’t have good representation, they’re fighting an uphill battle and they’re at a disadvantage.
Talk to Morris Firm for Men about using your rights in a proactive way.
