Joan-Marie Kettell Dean

I hired Joan-Marie to handle my divorce and I could not have been happier with the personal attention that I received, the outcome of the divorce, and follow-up that's taken place in the years to follow. I had been married for over 11 years of my military career, with two small children, when I foun...d myself going thru a divorce. Joan-Marie went out of her way to talk me thru the process, was expert on Alabama divorce law, and understand the implications of military service in a divorce. She places the needs of her clients above those of her self and always makes the time to meet or talk on the telephone. I could not have had a better experience and outcome. Through her understanding of law and negotiation efforts, I was able to retain 100% of my military retirement and a substantial amount of my assets. When my ex-wife asked for additional child support 6 years following our divorce, I again turned to Joan-Marie. Although I was required to pay more child support, since my salary had increased, Joan-Marie provided expert advice and documentation to ensure the modification was reasonable. The qualities that I like best about Joan-Marie is that she's straight forward and honest. She knows the law and will be honest about the pros and cons of any legal action. She is sensitive to the emotional ups and downs of going thru a divorce. Joan-Marie is absolutely the "best of the best" and I highly recommend her to those who are faced with divorce!

Not only is Joan Marie professional and highly educated, she will make you feel like family. She cares about your case because she has been there. Her staff welcomes you and assures you are comfortable why you wait. Her confidence put your mind at ease. I have never once had an issue with her nor her... staff returning an email or phone call. I highly recommend her!

I first hired Ms. Dean 10 years ago, on two separate recommendations from friends who both happen to be judges. One of them spoke very highly of her knowledge of the law and said she would give me trustworthy advice in my (unexpected) divorce. The other gave me Ms. Dean's and another attorney's names..., but said Ms. Dean would do a better job for me in court than anyone else. I chose to hire her then and have not regretted it. Through no fault of hers, we have been back to court every few years and every single time she has won my cases. While we all like to believe the law is on the right side (ours), it is not alway easy to prove and I have been very grateful for her representation. I have had easier, and more difficult, attorneys to contact, but I'm not looking for a BFF. Her office staff is highly competent and courteous and she's got a lot of work; one should expect that. If you are looking for someone to stay on the phone and hold your hand, go somewhere else. If you want a bulldog in the courtroom, it is well worth the price of admission to see her in action. I would certainly not like to be on the other side.

I hired Mrs. Joan Marie Dean to represent me in my divorce case, was impressed with her at our initial meeting and felt confident in her ability. Problems occurred during the first week when she was suppose to be in court representing me before the judge; Mrs. Dean stated she had a conflict and coul...dn't appear so she had another lawyer attend for her. The stand in attorney did a really good job and all Mrs. Dean had to do was to appear in front of the judge two days later (court date was on a Friday, she was to see the Judge on the following Monday). She didn't bother to show up and represent me, and I was out of my home for an additional 80 days. I tried repeatedly to get in touch with her by calling and sending emails to her of which she didn't bother replying to. I was finally forced to hire another attorney to represent me. When I emailed Mrs. Dean the information that I had obtained other legal counsel, she immediately called me while attending court in another county, wanting to know why I had acquired other counsel and was obviously upset. Mrs. Dean then actually had the audacity to show up at the court hearing my new counsel had scheduled in less than two days from being hired. Knowing she could no longer conjure up charges for services not provided, she billed me for every penny of the large retainer I had paid upfront and then added an additional 1/3 in fraudulent charges. Be forewarned that Mrs. Dean does not reply or respond to emails or phone messages and bills $30.00 (10% of a $300 an hour fee) to her clients for her assistant to receive any type of these communications. Bottom line is - do yourself a favor and look around before securing legal services in Huntsville, I am now having to go through the headache of trying to recoup some of my money from a lawyer that adamantly refused to represent me in a time of dire need.