Two decades of Alabama legal experience
Jennifer has practiced law in Alabama and Pennsylvania since 2003. Her career spans contested family-court litigation, fifteen years as Assistant Attorney General and Supervising Attorney for the Alabama Department of Human Resources (managing a 400-case caseload across Child and Adult Protective Services), representation before state licensing and regulatory boards, legal consulting for businesses and non-profits, educational advocacy for children with special needs, and trauma-systems consulting alongside multidisciplinary clinical teams. The breadth of that experience — family courtrooms, agency litigation, regulatory boards, and federal administrative law — informs every matter she takes on today.
Family law and estate work touch the most consequential parts of a person's life. The least clients should expect is that the attorney they hire is the attorney they get.
Practice Philosophy
Jennifer brings intensity and conviction to every matter she takes on. Her advocacy is the kind that comes from believing deeply in the work — and in the people the work serves.
That belief animates Jennifer's family-law and child-welfare work. Fierce, disciplined, fully prepared advocacy for the people the law most needs to protect.
Preparation, ethical conduct, and intellectual honesty aren't optional — they're the foundation of every representation. Walk in ready, walk in straight.
Capabilities
Family Law
- Contested divorce and separation
- Child custody and visitation
- Property division and spousal support
- Modifications and enforcement
Child Welfare Law
- Child Protective Services litigation
- Adult Protective Services matters
- Foster-care permanency proceedings
- Adoption and Safe Families Act matters
Probate & Estates
- Estate administration
- Will contests and estate litigation
- Letters testamentary & administration
- Wills and basic estate planning
- Small-estate procedures
Licensing & Regulatory Boards
- Representation before state licensing boards
- Regulatory board counsel
- Administrative hearings and ALJ appeals
- Rulemaking and policy implementation
Legal Consulting
- Outside counsel for small businesses
- Non-profit legal advisory
- Governance and compliance review
- Contracts and policy drafting
Educational Advocacy
- Children with special needs
- IEP and 504 plan disputes
- School disciplinary matters
- Parent representation in district hearings
Representative Experience
- Representation Before State Licensing & Regulatory Boards — current
Counsel and representation in administrative matters before Alabama licensing and regulatory boards, including administrative hearings, rulemaking, and policy implementation. - Legal Consulting for Businesses & Non-Profits — current
Outside counsel for small businesses and non-profit organizations on governance, compliance, contracts, and policy matters. - Educational Advocacy for Children with Special Needs — current
Representation of parents and children in IEP and 504 plan disputes, school disciplinary proceedings, and special-education matters. - Legal Consultant, Gateway Trauma Systems Treatment Team — current
Multidisciplinary legal advocacy supporting a trauma systems therapy program for children and families. - Assistant Attorney General & Supervising Attorney, Alabama Department of Human Resources, Shelby County — August 2006–December 2021
Managed a caseload of approximately 400 cases spanning Child and Adult Protective Services litigation. Prosecuted Food Stamp Fraud criminal cases. Ran the Shelby County DHR law office from 2010 onward. Trained DHR staff and community partners on child-welfare law and procedure. - Contract Attorney, Judy Whalen Evans, Esquire — August 2005–August 2007
Prepared asset valuation and trial materials for a two-week contested divorce trial involving an $11M marital estate; drafted proposed settlement agreement. - Assistant City Solicitor, City of Philadelphia Law Department — August 2003–August 2005
Represented the Philadelphia Department of Human Services in permanency hearings, termination proceedings, and ALJ appeals on a 150-case caseload, applying Pennsylvania's Adoption and Safe Families Act. - Federal Court Intern, Hon. Petrese B. Tucker, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania — Summer 2001
Drafted memoranda and orders; researched employment discrimination, §1983 claims, and bankruptcy property rights.
Honors & Recognitions
- Law Faculty Scholarship, Temple University Beasley School of Law
- Dean's List, Temple University (Spring 2002)
- Distinguished Classroom Performance — Criminal Law
- Distinguished Classroom Performance — Contracts II
- Distinguished Classroom Performance — Political & Civil Rights
- Outstanding Oral Advocacy — First Year Oral Argument
- Outstanding Oral Advocacy — Introduction to Trial Advocacy
- Sigma Tau Delta, English Honorary Society (Birmingham-Southern College)
- Honors Day Speaker, "Issues of Historical Biography & Film" (Birmingham-Southern College)
Professional Memberships & Service
- Vice-President, Board of Directors — Owens House Child Advocacy Center
- Board Member — Shelby County Children's Policy Council Foundation
- Advisory Council — Gateway Family Services
- Federation of Associations of Regulatory Boards
- Alabama State Bar — Administrative Law Committee
- Shelby County Bar Association
Speaking & Presentations
- "Multidisciplinary Approaches to Trauma Systems Therapy and Related Systems Legal Advocacy" — Innovation Team, April 2025
- Birmingham Bar Association — Family Court Processes — October 2009
- Frequent CLE faculty on permanency for children in foster care, safety evaluations of alleged victims of abuse and neglect, parental substance abuse, and administrative-law topics.
Education
- Temple University Beasley School of Law — Juris Doctor, May 2003
- Birmingham-Southern College — Bachelor of Arts, August 1997 · History (major), English (minor)
Bar Admissions
- State of Alabama — admitted November 2005
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — admitted November 2003
Community & Faith
Outside the practice, Jennifer is an active parishioner at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. Her faith community, her family, and her two decades of work on behalf of Alabama's children share a single throughline — the steady, principled commitment that shows up in how she practices, how she shows up for her clients, and how she lives.
Consultations
Jennifer offers evening and weekend appointments for clients with demanding schedules, and meets by phone or video when convenient.