Alphonso S. Hearns, Jr., managing attorney and founder of Hearns Law Group, LLC, has spent the past 17 years litigating high conflict divorce and custody cases. Alphonso began his legal career as a real estate transactions attorney but after a family member desperately needed the help of a tenacious family law attorney, he developed a passion for advocating for individuals and families in court. Alphonso earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and is licensed to practice in Maryland. Alphonso received numerous awards and distinctions, and was selected to the 2024 Maryland Super Lawyers List. In 2021, he was selected as a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation in recognition of his outstanding dedication to the welfare of his community, the administration of justice, and the traditions of the profession of law. Alphonso was selected for inclusion into the Top Attorneys of North America 2020-2021 edition by The Who's Who Directories. Also, in 2020, the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys (NAFLA) awarded Alphonso the prestigious Top 10 Attorney Award for the State of Maryland.
Within the first few years of Alphonso's transition to family law, he experienced tremendous success in handling the most complex custody litigation matters an attorney could ever experience. Alphonso forged partnerships with several advocacy groups in the Maryland region, including the Center for Abused Persons, Charles County, Maryland and the YWCA, Annapolis, Maryland. He began assisting these groups with handling complex custody and domestic violence cases in which they did not have the resources to manage as non-profit organizations. Alphonso quickly developed a reputation as the go-to attorney for handling high-conflict family law cases, which resulted in him successfully managing hundreds of such cases. He also joined the Maryland Office of the Public Defender as a Panel Attorney, and gained experience representing clients in a variety of misdemeanor and felony criminal defense cases including, but not limited to, assault, theft, DUI, and possession of controlled dangerous substances.
Alphonso's stellar reputation and track record of success has earned him the respect and acknowledgement of his peers and local judges. He was selected to lead the Prince George's County Bar Association's Family Law Committee as the Co-Chair, and in this leadership capacity, Alphonso mentored new family law practitioners and provided a source of continuing legal education for seasoned practitioners. Active in the legal community, Alphonso holds memberships in the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, the Bar Association of Montgomery County, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the Prince George's County Bar Association. The justices of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland asked Alphonso to teach at their annual three-day Family Law University Seminar through the Judicial Institute.
Throughout his career, Alphonso developed a passion for personal injury law, and on September 24, 2009, he filed a multi-million-dollar police brutality lawsuit against the Maryland State Police and a former Maryland State Trooper. Alphonso prevailed, winning a favorable settlement for his client. This led him to successfully recover compensation for hundreds of individuals and families injured by the recklessness of others. Alphonso received a "Superb" rating on Avvo for his impeccable work in family law and personal injury. He is well-respected in the community, partly because he spends his free time giving back to the local bar association by volunteering to improve the practice of Family Law. Native to the region, Alphonso is a leader in his community who gives back by volunteering his time coaching youth soccer and youth basketball.
