Posted by Steven A. Harris | Harris Firm LLC, Local Firm Events & News
As the holidays draw near, many in our local communities face increased hardship. At the Harris Firm, we’re stepping up with a coordinated effort across our Alabama locations to collect food, funds, and, in Montgomery, toys, to help ease that burden. These drives run until December 10th, and with less than a month to go, …
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Custody Rights, Divorce, Family Law
When one parent carries the whole load for years while the other vanishes, the frustration runs deep. The bills, the school pickups, the sick days, the birthdays he never shows up for. Eventually a lot of mothers (and plenty of fathers raising kids on their own) reach the same question: can I just cut him …
Continue reading "Cutting Ties: How to Terminate the Parental Rights of a Deadbeat Dad in Alabama"
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
There is something about a courthouse that can rattle even a calm person. The cold hallways, the official voices, the metal detector at the door, the quiet tension that hangs in the air while you wait for your case to be called. It makes your heart race even when you have done everything right. Family …
Continue reading "Steady Your Nerves: How to Emotionally Prepare For Court"
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
No matter how old your children are, telling them that a divorce or a custody change is coming is one of the hardest things a parent ever does. You will not get every word right. You do not need to. What children remember years later is not the speech. They remember whether the parent in …
Continue reading "Telling the Kids: How to Stay Mentally Strong Through Tough Talks"
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
Across Alabama, a lot of men were raised on the same lesson: a strong man keeps quiet. Boys here are told not to cry, not to complain, and to carry their burdens by themselves. The people who taught that lesson usually meant well. They wanted to raise sons who could stand on their own two …
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
When a survivor of domestic violence or sexual assault walks into an Alabama courtroom, the case is almost never just about paperwork. It is about getting out, staying out, and keeping the children safe while the law does its slow, careful work. That is a tall order for a system that was built to sort …
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
Co-parenting is hard work on its best day. Add autism to the picture and the stakes climb. A missed therapy appointment, a surprise change in the pickup schedule, a new food at one house and not the other — things that barely register for a neurotypical child can unravel a week for a child on …
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
When parents split up, the question that drives every custody decision in Alabama is the same: what is best for the child? When that child is on the autism spectrum, the question gets harder, more specific, and a lot more personal. A plan that works beautifully for a neurotypical eight-year-old can fall apart for a …
Continue reading "Custody & Care: Supporting Children with Autism"
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Custody Rights, Family Law
Custody fights are rarely won on speeches. They are won on proof. When a judge in Alabama has to decide where a child lives, who makes decisions, and what the visitation schedule looks like, that judge can only act on the evidence actually placed in front of the court. Two of the most powerful categories …
Continue reading "Medical and Educational Evidence in Custody Cases"
Posted by Steven A. Harris | Family Law
Women have always carried more than their share of the weight. They raise the children, hold the household together, keep careers moving, and often absorb the shock when a marriage falls apart. When that marriage ends, or when a relationship turns unsafe, the law is one of the few tools that can actually shift power …
Continue reading "Women Leading the Way: How Family Law Empowers Women to Reclaim their Stories"
