In Alabama, unpaid child support totals over $4 billion, affecting more than 210,000 children across the state. The average arrearage balance stands at $19,000, with the largest single case in Alabama reaching $1.6 million, including accumulated interest. Behind these numbers are real families—children whose basic needs depend on court-ordered support and custodial parents struggling to…
The average couple waits six years before seeking help for marital problems—six years of growing distance, unresolved arguments, and mounting frustration. By the time many couples finally sit down with a therapist, roughly one-third end counseling within the first few sessions because divorce has already become inevitable. Alabama ranks among the states with the highest…
The tension is unbearable. You can barely stand being in the same room with your spouse, and every instinct tells you to grab your things and leave. But before you pack that suitcase, consider this: an early move out of a marital residence can potentially be used to argue that the spouse who moved out…
Alabama judges have complete discretion to decide where your children will live, who makes decisions about their education and healthcare, and how much time they spend with each parent. When parents cannot agree, a judge who has never met your family will make choices that shape your children’s lives for years to come. The court’s…
On January 1, 2017, Alabama drew a line in the sand. The state officially abolished the recognition of new common law marriages, joining the overwhelming majority of states that require formal documentation for legal marriage. But for couples who established their relationships before that deadline, the questions remain complicated. Common law marriages formed prior to…
Oxford sits at the crossroads of danger. Interstate 20 earned the grim nickname “Bloody 20”due to frequent and sometimes deadly collisions caused by heavy truck traffic combined with speeding vehicles navigating the hilly Appalachian terrain. Just east of Oxford’s Exit 191, a two-mile uphill grade significantly slows truck traffic, causing backups and creating conditions ripe…
Alabama stands alone. It is the only state in the country where wrongful death claims recover exclusively punitive damages…no compensation for funeral costs, lost income, or emotional suffering. This distinctive legal framework means families pursuing justice after losing a loved one face rules that exist nowhere else in America. Adding urgency to these claims, Alabama…
Large commercial trucks travel 6.5 billion miles annually across Alabama’s highways, and the consequences when these 80,000-pound vehicles collide with passenger cars are staggering. Five out of every six people killed in crashes involving large trucks are occupants of the other vehicle, pedestrians, or bicyclists—not the truck driver protected inside the cab. In 2023, 10,201…
Motorcycles represent just 3 percent of all registered vehicles on American roads, yet riders account for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities nationwide—a disparity that hits especially hard in Alabama. According to the Alabama Department of Transportation, 1,828 motorcycle crashes occurred statewide in 2023, resulting in 93 fatalities and hundreds of serious injuries. Compared to…
From 2017 to 2021, an average of 130 people were killed each year in Alabama in collisions involving large trucks, giving the state one of the highest truck fatality rates in the nation. In 2018 alone, over 10,000 trucks were involved in accidents across Alabama, resulting in 121 fatalities and more than 2,600 injuries. Unlike…