Mississippi Divorce & Family Law Attorneys
Guiding you through life’s most difficult transitions with strength, strategy, and compassion.
Legal Expertise That Puts You First
One Firm for Divorce, Custody, and Support Across Mississippi
At Hopkins, Barvié & Hopkins, P.L.L.C., we combine over 60 years of experience with a client-first approach. Divorce, custody, and support are decided together in Mississippi Chancery Court, so we handle them together rather than leaving families to coordinate between separate attorneys.
Our Divorce & Family Law Practice Areas
Divorce
Whether contested or uncontested, divorce involves critical decisions about your assets, finances, and future. We fight to protect your interests and help you move forward confidently.
Child Custody
Few issues are more important than your relationship with your children. We advocate for arrangements that protect your rights as a parent while prioritizing your child’s well-being.
Child Support
Ensuring fair child support is essential for your child’s stability and your own financial future. We help establish, enforce, and modify support orders to reflect your family’s needs.
Our Approach to Divorce & Family Law
Every family is unique. We take the time to understand your priorities and goals, then craft a personalized strategy to protect your rights and your future.
We handle negotiations whenever possible to reduce conflict and stress — but when litigation is necessary, our divorce and family law attorney fights assertively to achieve the best possible outcome for you and your family.
How Mississippi Actually Decides Custody and Support
Most people arrive at a family law consultation having been told something about Mississippi law by a friend or a search result, and a fair amount of it is wrong. Here is the framework a chancellor is actually working from.
Custody: the Albright factors
Mississippi chancellors decide custody under the best-interest-of-the-child standard, applied through twelve factors set out by the Mississippi Supreme Court in Albright v. Albright. They cover the age and health of the child, which parent has been the primary caregiver, each parent's parenting skills and willingness to provide care, employment and its demands, physical and mental health, moral fitness, the child's home and school and community record, the emotional ties between parent and child, and the stability of each proposed home.
Two things follow from that. First, Mississippi law explicitly prohibits any presumption favoring the mother. Second, a chancellor weighing twelve factors wants evidence for each one, which means custody cases are won on documentation rather than on argument.
A child's preference can be considered starting at age twelve, but it does not control the outcome. The chancellor still decides.
Child support: a percentage of one parent's income
Mississippi is one of only a handful of states that calculates support from the non-custodial parent's income alone rather than combining both parents' incomes. Under the state guidelines, the award is a fixed percentage of that parent's adjusted gross income:
- 14% for one child
- 20% for two children
- 22% for three children
- 24% for four children
- 26% for five or more children
Adjusted gross income is calculated after mandatory deductions such as taxes, Social Security, and existing court-ordered support for other children. The guideline figure carries a rebuttable presumption of correctness, which means a chancellor can deviate from it, but must make written findings explaining why. Where the fights usually happen is upstream of the percentage: what counts as income for a self-employed parent, whether a parent is voluntarily underemployed, and how health insurance and childcare get allocated on top of the base amount.
Support orders are also modifiable. If circumstances have materially changed since the order was entered, either parent can petition to revisit it.
Why Families Across Mississippi Trust Us
Decades of Experience
Over 60 years combined representing Mississippi families in divorce, custody, and support matters.
Personalized Guidance
We provide honest, compassionate advice tailored to your unique situation.
Assertive Advocacy
We negotiate where it gets you a better outcome, and we try the case in Chancery Court when it does not.
Reviews & Testimonials
What does a family law attorney do in Mississippi?
A Mississippi family law attorney handles matters heard in Chancery Court: divorce, division of marital property, alimony, child custody and visitation, child support, and modifications or enforcement of existing orders. Practically, the work is a mix of negotiating an agreement the other side will actually sign and building an evidentiary record for a chancellor if they will not. Most cases involve both.
How do I file for child custody in Mississippi?
Custody is usually decided as part of a divorce action, but unmarried parents can file a separate petition in Chancery Court in the county where the child lives. Either way you are asking a chancellor to apply the twelve Albright factors, so what you file with matters: school records, medical records, a documented caregiving history, and a proposed parenting plan. Filing without that record puts you at a disadvantage before the first hearing.
How is child support calculated in Mississippi?
Mississippi applies a fixed percentage of the non-custodial parent's adjusted gross income, starting at 14% for one child and rising to 26% for five or more. The custodial parent's income is not part of the base calculation, which is unusual among states. The guideline amount is presumed correct, but a chancellor can deviate from it with written findings.
Is there a family law firm near me in Mississippi?
Our office is at 2701 24th Avenue in Gulfport, and we represent families statewide in Chancery Courts across Mississippi. Family law matters here are handled by partner A. Norris Hopkins Jr., who has practiced family law exclusively since his 1998 Bar admission.
Can a custody or support order be changed later?
Yes. Mississippi allows modification of custody and support orders when there has been a material change in circumstances since the order was entered, such as a significant income change, a relocation, or a change affecting the child's welfare. Modification is a new filing, not an informal agreement between parents, and informal arrangements are not enforceable if the other parent stops honoring them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Talk to a Mississippi Family Law Attorney
Family law decisions get made under time pressure and emotional strain, which is the worst possible combination for the outcome. A free consultation gives you an accurate picture of your options, your likely timeline, and what the law actually requires before you commit to a course of action.