Category: Law Legal Information
Can I get a divorce quickly and easily in Alabama? If you and your spouse are both in agreement regarding your marital dissolution, then the quickest and easiest way to get a divorce in Alabama is through an uncontested divorce. An uncontested divorce is a divorce that occurs when both spouses come to an agreement addressing all marital issues. 
This means that both spouses agree to the divorce, and also agree on what they want to do with their marital assets once the marriage is dissolved. Once the agreement has been signed by both parties, they need to file the divorce with the local court. Reaching an agreement before you get an attorney will often make the divorce process go by much easier.
Uncontested divorces in Jefferson County are much faster and cost much less than a contested divorce. The main reason that uncontested divorces are less expensive is
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How does DHR in Alabama get involved in a child’s family situation and can a Birmingham divorce attorney help get them out? DHR stands for the department of human resources. The Alabama department of human resources deals with a number of different issues such as: adoption, adult protective services, baby box initiative, Chafee Education and training voucher program, child care services, child support payment and enforcement, family coaches program, foster care, family assistance, and transitional child care. Generally the department of human resources may become involved in any family matter where there is an issue. 
When there is an issue in the home such as child neglect or child abuse, the department of human resources may send a social worker to the house and determine whether the child is in an unsafe environment. If someone from the human resources department determines that a child is in danger they can remove
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What are the steps to file for an adoption of a relative in Alabama? In Alabama you may be able to adopt a relative if both parents of the child agree. Adoptions in Birmingham must be completed in accordance with the Alabama adoption code. Under the code any adult person or husband and wife jointly who are adults may petition the court to adopt a minor. 
The code also states that an adult may be adopted if they meet any of the following conditions: (a) he or she is an individual with a total and permanent disability; (b) he or she is determined to be a person with an intellectual disability; (c) he or she consents in writing to be adopted and is related in any degree of kinship, as defined by the intestacy laws of Alabama, or is a step child by marriage; or (d) he or she consents
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What is a QDRO and do I need one to get the 401(k) distribution that was ordered in my uncontested divorce? QRDO stands for qualified domestic relations order. Generally this is an order from the court that lays out the details regarding how the retirement benefit plans should be divided in the event of a contested divorce in Birmingham. 
A QDRO can be ordered before the divorce, during the divorce or after the divorce. Generally it is best to get a qualified domestic relations order earlier on in the divorce process because it can be more difficult to divide the funds once the divorce has been finalized for a long period of time. If you fail to include a QDRO in your final divorce decree, then you will have to reopen the divorce in order to put the order in place.
As you can imagine this often ends
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If we are going through a divorce in Birmingham, can I close on the sale of a house without my wife being present at closing? A property that is intended to be used as a primary residence in Alabama is known as a homestead. If a property is deemed to be a homestead, then there is a statute that applies. The statute states: “no mortgage, deed or other conveyance of the homestead by a married person shall be valid without the voluntary signature and assent of the husband or wife, which must be shown by his or her examination before an officer authorized by law to take acknowledgements of deeds, and the certificate of such officer upon, or attached to, such mortgage, deed, or other conveyance.” Ala. Code § 6-10-3. 
Therefore, under this statute you cannot close on the sale of a house without your wife’s signature or assent
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