|| Sam McLure stands for Election, Tomorrow – January 27, 2023 || *For immediate release.* ________________________________ Alabama’s Capitol Bar Association, Montgomery County, Holds Election for Board of Directors. On Friday, January 27, 2023, the Montgomery County Bar Association is scheduled to hold its Annual Meeting. The meeting is slated to consist of voting on proposed amendments to the Bylaws and candidates for the Board of Directors. The RSA Activity Center has graciously agreed to host the event. The proposed amendments include updates to membership pricing, protocols, and minor rev ..read more

  A child cannot be adopted without the consent of her natural parents. In Alabama, that consent may be expressed (through a signed affidavit) or implied. A trial court may find that a parent has given implied consent to an adoption on multiple independently sufficient grounds under Alabama Code § 26-10A-9. On October 21, 2022, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals released one of the most significant opinions on an adoption case in years. The opinion treats the issue of implied consent at length. Its guidance will shape the course of future contested adoption hearings in Alabama. For those ..read more

Under the state constitution, the Probate Court has general jurisdiction over orphan’s business. A new amendment on the ballot proposes to remove this language. Its proponents argue the language is outdated. They are wrong, and Alabama citizens should vote against the amendment. The Probate Courts have jurisdiction over adoption cases in Alabama. Adoption is quintessential to orphan care, as it provides a pathway for abandoned and neglected children to be incorporated into a new family and home. Orphan’s business is not outdated language; it describes precisely what the Probate Court does. Jus ..read more

Equipping Foster Parents for Gracious Advocacy Series, Part II:
The Golden Calf of “No Viable Alternatives” —//— by Gretchen N. Hedke, Esq. Samuel J. McLure, Esq. —//— In order for the Juvenile Court to terminate the parental rights of a foster child, the Juvenile Court must find clear and convincing evidence that: 1) The legal parents are unable or unwilling to discharge their responsibilities to the child, and they cannot be rehabilitated in the foreseeable future. 2) There are no viable alternatives to terminating the parents’ rights.1 The second prong, “no viable alternatives,” has a parti ..read more

We could not be more pleased to introduce to you our newest staff attorney, Gretchen Nicole Hedke. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Gretchen made her way down South to attend college at the University of Alabama. After completing her undergrad in Political Science and French, she attended the University of Alabama School of Law, from which she graduated in May of 2022. Gretchen has always desired and sought to use her education to provide help to vulnerable people in her community. She actively advocated for the unborn and handled marketing for Choices Pregnancy Clinic in Tuscaloosa durin ..read more

Children are often treated as disposable. This has always been the case throughout history and across the globe, and there are many evidences of this tragic reality in our current American culture, ranging from the rampant predatory child pornography industry, to the refusal of the judicial system to protect children from violent, abusive parents and extended families. This last issue is our focus here, and the focus of a proposal for a piece of legislation, the PARK Act, that we wish to bring to your attention. But first, we feel it necessary to set the scene for those readers unfamiliar wit ..read more

Children are often treated as disposable. This has always been the case throughout history and across the globe, and there are many evidences of this tragic reality in our current American culture, ranging from the rampant predatory child pornography industry, to the refusal of the judicial system to protect children from violent, abusive parents and extended families. This third issue is our focus here, and the focus of a body of proposed legislation, the PARK Act, that we wish to bring to your attention. But first, we feel it necessary to set the scene for those readers unfamiliar with the f ..read more

Twelve year olds are not always delightful creatures under the best of circumstances, and for children in foster care, the older you get, the bleaker the odds. Older children in foster care have often been through years and years of upheaval and insecurity, denied their right to permanency when they are young, with less and less chance of an adoptive home as they grow older. It’s a discouraging situation for these young ones, and a scary one. But Monday, July 18, 2022, we got to witness the joy of one 12 year old girl as her foster mother of four years was finally permitted to adopt her. It ..read more

It’s true that nothing in this world has made me feel weaker than being a foster mom. This journey has sanctified me more than I like to admit on most days. Two days before I got the call about June from DHR- I looked at my husband and said, “We’re done taking children.” I had been burned by the system. I had suffered too many heartbreaks. I was tired, weary, and losing heart. I felt like I wasn’t making a difference anymore and selfishly I was done loving babies who were just going to get taken from me. Then I was reminded of God’s truth. I must not look to what is seen. I must take my physi ..read more

Case Review: T.B. v. Cullman County Dept. of Human Resources, 6 So.3d 1195 (Ala. Civ. App. 2008) —//— Equipping Foster Parents for Gracious Advocacy Series, Part I by Samuel J. McLure, Esq. 30-Second Summary For the foster parents reading this article, I hope that at least one main take-a-way will stick with you. There is a common myth circulated among child welfare professionals: if a natural parent is at least devoted to visiting their child, the natural parent has shown sufficient interest and progress that it would be amoral to terminate parental rights; and that the juvenile court cannot ..read more