Family Law

• Divorce
• Child Support
  We are often asked how long one has to pay child support. In Alabama, the age of majority is nineteen years old. A “child†becomes an “adult†when he or she turns nineteen. Child support ceases at that time, with one exception. According to Ex parte Brewington, a case handled by our firm, a circuit […] read more
• Child Custody and Visitation
  A common law marriage is different than a traditional marriage. In a traditional marriage, a couple applies for a marriage license and has a marriage ceremony. In a common law marriage, two people agree to enter into a marriage relationship and present themselves to the public as married. Common law marriages are supported by evidence such as joint tax returns, joint bank accounts and references to one another as “husband†and “wife.†Once common law married, a couple enjoys all the benefits of a traditional marriage. Like all married couples, those who are common law married must settle property rights and child custody through a divorce and must be divorced before either party can marry another person.
• Adoption
• Paternity
• Premarital Agreement
• Spousal Support
  The 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has changed the tax consequences of alimony payments. In some divorces, one party (the payor) is ordered to pay alimony to the other (the payee) after the divorce is final. Alimony payments are intended to ensure the payee maintains a similar quality of life as he or […] read more
• Annulment

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Our firm has handled thousands of criminal matters over the last forty years. We have represented people accused of DUI, assaults and battery, theft, forgery, property offenses and even capital murder, and we have obtained very successful results through both negotiations and ultimately bench and jury trials. When you or a loved one is accused of a criminal offense, you need to know that your attorney is devoted to your case and will work as hard as possible to obtain successful results. And that is exactly the approach we take – to work diligently and vigorously to obtain the best results possible for our clients.
• DUI/DWI
• Wrongful Death
  Sadly, thousands of automobile and truck wrecks occur each year in the State of Alabama. Our law firm is dedicated to representing clients who have been injured or killed in these accidents. We help people who have suffered burns, central nervous impairments, fractures, back injuries and lacerations. We investigate collisions involving our clients caused by the negligence and wantonness of other motorists. We also investigate defects in the motor vehicle driven by our clients that would include a products liability claim. We have successfully handled rear-end collisions, alcohol and drug-impaired collisions, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims and wrongful death claims.
• Theft
• Assault
• Murder
• Forgery

Business and Corporate Law

• Business Disputes
  Though we are experienced trial attorneys, having handled almost every conceivable civil case, we pride ourselves in our ability to value cases and get them in a position to settle, with maximum benefit to our clients. Whether we get your case settled or tried, we put the interests of our clients first and seek for them what the law should provide—a just and fair result.

Employment Law

• Employment Discrimination
  Stephen V. Hammond is a registered mediator in the State of Alabama. He has taken the training for general civil and domestic relations cases, and he has mediated several civil and domestic relations cases. With over 38 years in private practice in Decatur, Alabama, he has gained the experience to help you resolve your case. On the civil side, he has handled almost every conceivable type of civil case, including motor vehicle accidents, trucking accidents, workplace injuries, wrongful death, medical malpractice, slip and fall and age and sex discrimination, among others. He was attorney of record for the first case in Alabama to hold that a medical malpractice insurance policy did not cover a physician who sexually abused his patients. On the domestic relations side, he has represented clients in original divorces, modifications, child custody, support and visitation cases. He was attorney of record in the first case in Alabama to allow child support for a child after he reached the age of majority–a mentally and physically disabled child. It would be his privilege to help you reach a reasonable settlement in your case. To schedule your mediation, contact us at 256-353-7031 (office), 256-642-9013 (cell), svh@chhlawpc.com or kst@chhlawpc.com.
• Sexual Harassment

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Chenault Hammond, P.C. filed the first Triana DDT litigation in 1979 on behalf of 39 commercial fisherman and their families. The case sought compensation for lost income and personal injury due to excessive DDT in the Tennessee River dumped by a DDT manufacturing plant over several years. Eventually joined by claimants from the town of Triana, the case resulted in a substantial global settlement in 1983.
• Medical Malpractice
  Medical malpractice, defective construction, automobile liability, truck accidents, wrongful death, industrial accidents, fraud, sexual harassment in the workplace, retaliatory discharge, slip and fall, among many others. Although he has litigated many of these cases, he has successfully settled the vast majority of them, saving his clients money, time and worry. He is a member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute. For over 20 years, he has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Hammond was counsel of record in the seminal case of St. Paul Ins. Co. v. Cromeans, 771 F. Supp. 349 (N.D. Ala. 1991), holding for the first time in Alabama that sexual misconduct by a physician is not covered by a medical malpractice insurance policy.
• Auto Accidents

Trusts and Estates

• Wills

Finance Law

• Tax Law
  In divorces which occurred or settled before December 31, 2018, payments meeting the tax-law definition of alimony are deductible from the payor’s adjusted gross income. Those same payments are taxable income for the payee. The old rule gave payors an incentive to pay alimony because they could make a deduction, whether or not they itemized returns. Alimony payments which were agreed to or ordered prior to December 31, 2018 will remain under these rules. That is, alimony is deductible by the payor and the payee must report the alimony as income.