Hiring a Divorce or Family Lawyer in Alabama
How divorce lawyers in Alabama charge, the state's filing rules, how to check a lawyer's license, and free or low-cost family law help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Alabama: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Contingent fees are allowed except where Rule 1.5(d) or other law prohibits them. A contingent fee agreement must be in writing and state how the fee is figured, including the percentage(s) the lawyer gets on settlement, trial or appeal, what litigation and other expenses come out of the recovery, and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. At the end, the lawyer must give the client a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, how the client's share was determined. Lawyers may not charge fees in domestic relations matters contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of alimony, support or property settlement, and may not charge a contingent fee to represent a criminal defendant. Fee factors also include whether there is a written fee agreement signed by the client. |
|---|---|
| If a lawyer takes your money | The Alabama State Bar Client Security Fund may reimburse clients who lost money or property because of an Alabama lawyer's dishonest conduct while acting as a lawyer or fiduciary. Payment is discretionary ("a matter of grace and not of right"). The maximum is $75,000 per applicant and $200,000 for all applicants for one instance or course of dishonest conduct. Losses from malpractice or incompetence, insured losses, investments and consequential damages are excluded. Applications must be filed within three years after the applicant knew or should have known of the loss (tolled while a grievance is pending, but no later than six years). The fund is financed by a $25 annual assessment on lawyers. Application: https://www.alabar.org/assets/2025/01/CSF_Application-1.pdf |
Alabama rules to know first
| Residency requirement | When the spouse being sued does not live in Alabama, the spouse filing must have been a genuine (bona fide) resident of Alabama for six months before filing the complaint, and must state and prove this in the case. The statute sets the six-month rule for cases where the other spouse is a nonresident; it does not set a separate county residency period. Source: Ala. Code § 30-2-5 |
|---|---|
| Filing fee | State law sets a $145 docket fee for a new case on the circuit court's domestic relations docket, whether it is contested or uncontested, and $248 for a case to modify or enforce an existing domestic relations order. Counties add other court costs, so the total at the clerk's office is higher and varies by county. If paying would be a substantial hardship under the state income guidelines, you can file a verified statement of substantial hardship and the fee may be waived at first and taxed as costs at the end of the case. Ask the circuit clerk in your county for the full current amount. Source: Ala. Code §§ 12-19-70, 12-19-71 |
| Uncontested divorce | Alabama does not have a separate summary divorce procedure. For fee purposes, a divorce is treated as uncontested when a complaint, an answer, and an agreement of the parties are filed with the circuit court. The court system publishes do-it-yourself forms, including a Divorce Complaint (PS-08), Answer to Divorce Complaint (PS-21), and Request for Divorce Judgment by Default (PS-10). |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service helps people who can afford to pay a lawyer find one. A representative takes basic information and gives you the name and contact details of a participating attorney in your county, if one is available; you can also request a referral online 24/7. Participating lawyers agree to "charge no more than $50 for an initial 30 minute consultation"; other fees are negotiated with the lawyer. Phone: 1-800-392-5660 (Mon-Fri, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.). Referrals are not made by email, and the service does not cover out-of-state matters. Also described at https://alabar.org/for-the-public/get-legal-help |
|---|---|
| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Alabama State Bar's "Find a Member" search lets anyone look up lawyers by name, city, county, state, firm or practice area. The bar notes that practice areas are self-reported and not verified, and that disciplinary history is available on the site starting from January 2018. Source: Alabama State Bar, Find a Member |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints that a lawyer violated the Rules of Professional Conduct are investigated and prosecuted by the Disciplinary Division of the Alabama State Bar's Office of General Counsel, acting for the Alabama Supreme Court. The bar publishes a complaint brochure and form for the public. A lawyer's disciplinary history is available on written request from the bar's Disciplinary Clerk (clerk@alabar.org or P.O. Box 671, Montgomery, AL 36101). Bar phone: (334) 269-1515 or toll-free (800) 354-6154. Complaint brochure and form: https://www.alabar.org/assets/2025/04/Complaint-form_brochure-2012.pdf ; Office of General Counsel: https://www.alabar.org/office-of-general-counsel/ |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Legal Services Alabama, the LSC-funded legal aid program for the state, provides free civil legal help to qualifying low-income people in all 67 counties (apply at 866-456-4995 or online); it does not handle criminal cases. Volunteer lawyer programs also take civil cases for eligible people, including the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program at (888) 857-8571 for counties without a local program. Alabama Legal Help (alabamalegalhelp.org) offers free legal information and self-help forms. Phone numbers from https://alabar.org/for-the-public/get-legal-help |
|---|
All legal help in Alabama · Do I need a lawyer?
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.