Joan-Marie Kettell Dean

Been thru many court actions related to my custody case with Joan-Marie. Feel fortunate that I have used her. Been accused by daughter's mother of numerous things - DHR has quite a case folder. Although I've been innocent what usually matters is the quality of the lawyer. Eight years ago I was li...mited to a few hours a week of supervised visits at Family Services and I now have almost 50/50 visitation. I believe a good portion of this is Joan-Marie's courtroom skills - very good and getting people to admit things and look foolish - and negotiating ability. She is expensive but I've been fortunate enough to afford it. She is slow to respond to emails and calls, but that doesn't mean she isn't following up; usually it means she is not billing a person for status update emails. I have recommended her to a few friends over the last 7 years. Have another hearing in Jun and may have update after that.

She is professional, polished, and poise. I have had long-standing issues with my son's mother and Jo-Marie was able to help resolve many of these issues. She is very clear without ever wing condescending. She is also always within reach which seems to be a luxury when considering lawyers. If you are... considering a lawyer in Alabama, look no further, Jo-Marie is phenomenal.

Ms. Sullivan came recommended to me by another attorney in town. Given the circumstances surrounding my divorce and subsequent child custody proceedings, I could NOT have made a better choice. Her knowledge of the law, her vested interest in my well being, as well as my son's, her empathy regarding m...y experiences and her stellar representation of my case contributed greatly to a very positive outcome! I would not hesitate to recommend her to any person in search of a qualified and professional attorney in north Alabama.

I hired Joan-Marie over 10 years ago to represent me in a custody dispute. The suit was filed unexpectedly and I was living out of the area at the time. I hired another male lawyer here in Huntsville first. He totally bungled my case, failing to object to irrelevant testimony, hearsay, etc. As a resu...lt of his ineptitude I ended up losing custody at my pendente lite hearing. Devastated, I began lawyer shopping. Joan-Marie was recommended to me by another attorney in town who did not have time to take my case at that point. I met with her and liked her immediately. She went right to work ordering transcripts and researching to prepare for the court date which was only 4 months away. I was most impressed with the way she put her heart into our case. It was abundantly clear that she had a personal interest in us not just as clients but as people. Her representation of us in court was head and shoulders above our first attorney and I have no complaints whatsoever about the way she handled our case. Unfortunately, the judge did not rule in my favor, leading us to file an appeal first to the civil appeals court and then to the Alabama Supreme Court. Joan-Marie really shines in written appeals. As mentioned by another reviewer, she is the editor of Alabama Law Weekly and is intimately familiar with decisions that are being written by all levels of the judiciary in this state. Her appeals arguments are extremely well written and the facts well documented. I have been in and out of court several times on this custody situation and have been forced to file multiple appeals, but it is in no way a reflection of poor representation on Joan-Marie’s part. I have recommended her to others and will continue to do so. I cannot imagine ever finding a lawyer who will put so much of her personal energy into a case. Her billing has been reasonable as well.