Divorce & Family Law Attorneys and Staff

Judy Harrison Barganier was raised in Birmingham. After attending the University of Alabama, Judy graduated from AUM, then received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 1992. Judy started out in private practice, and then became a Deputy District Attorney for Montgomery County. With Judge Lynn Bright, Judy originated the Montgomery County Task Force on Domestic Violence and was a co-founder of the Sexual Assault Response Team for Montgomery County. In 1998 Judy returned to private practice and in 2000 created the Law Offices of Judy H. Barganier, P.C.

Judy is married to Joe Herman, and has four grown children, Harrison Hunt, our firm's Office Manager, John Barganier, a dentist in Montgomery, Jay Barganier, a dentist in Charleston, South Carolina, and Andy Barganier, an estimator for a construction firm in Birmingham.

Catherine R. Steinwinder (Katie) was raised in Elba, Alabama, and graduated from Troy State University with a B.S. in 1993, summa cum laude. She was Press Aide for the Governor's Office in Montgomery from 1993 to 1995. She earned her J.D. in 1997 from the University of Alabama School of Law, where she was the Dorbin Association Scholarship recipient. After law school Katie was Law Clerk to Circuit Judge Bill Shashy in Montgomery County and then relocated in 2001 to Birmingham, where she practiced civil litigation with Starnes & Atchison, LLP. Katie returned to Montgomery in 2005 and soon began practicing with Judy.

In July 2008, Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom appointed Katie to the 17 member Alabama Family Law Task Force, charged with the mission of '...recommending ways to revise and modernize Alabama's laws to more accurately reflect the needs of families, children, and victims of domestic violence.'

Katie is married to Jimmy Steinwinder and has two daughters, Victoria and Rebecca, and one son, Elliott.

Jamie Guy Ratliff was raised in Montgomery, Alabama, and graduated from Samford University in Birmingham with a B.S. in 1997.  She worked in the legal field as a paralegal before entering law school in August 2004.  While attending law school she served three years as an Honor Court Justice, was appointed as the student representative to the Clinical Studies Committee, and was a member of various organizations.  She graduated in the first ABA accredited class from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, with a J.D., in June 2007.

Jamie Guy Ratliff has a son, Brody, and a daughter, Addison.

Leah Chamberlin was raised in Montgomery and graduated from the University of South Alabama in Mobile in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and a minor in Communications. In her senior year at USA, she was President of The Jesters, a Drama Fraternity, and a member of the fraternity for all four years. She was active in the Golden Key Club and the Mobile Habitat for Humanity. Leah is eagerly working toward certification as a paralegal and enjoys working with our clients. Leah is married to Kenny Chamberlin. Leah will greet you when you call.

Harrison Hunt has been with the Law Offices of Judy H. Barganier, P.C. since 2001 and serves as Judy’s assistant and office manager. She handles clients accounts and deals with our clients on a one-to-one basis from the beginning of each case to the conclusion, which adds an extra element of personal attention each case deserves. Harrison is from Montgomery and has lived here her entire life. She has two children, Wesley, age 15, and John-Dylan, age 12. Harrison attended Auburn University in Montgomery. She is active in her church, St. James United Methodist Church, and she enjoys spending time with her children and family when she is not working.