Local attorney and lifelong Cullman County resident Annette Irons-Parker has announced her candidacy for District Judge, Place 2. A graduate of Hanceville High School, she is the daughter of Bob and Mary Irons and the granddaughter of the late Ed and Annie Shugart all from Hanceville. Annette Irons-Parker and her husband Stephen Parker have been practicing attorneys for ten years, where she has devoted a substantial amount of her practice to those cases which come before the District Court. “The District Court serves as the Juvenile Court in Cullman County. While this Court has jurisdiction over a great many matters such as small claims, civil, traffic, misdemeanor, felony and our local Drug Court Program, I believe the most important function of the District Court is dealing with children who come into the court system by way of dependency or delinquency.”

Annette believes that she is highly qualified for this office and would bring a unique set of skills to the bench. She currently serves as the Municipal Judge for the City of Hanceville. Prior to becoming an attorney she was a teacher for fifteen years. Ms. Irons-Parker is the only announced candidate who is a certified Guardian Ad Litem which allows her to represent children coming before the Court in dependency and delinquency cases. She is a certified civil and domestic relations mediator. Her philosophy about the role of a judge is to be impartial, to follow the law, not legislate from the bench and to treat all who come before the Court with dignity and respect.

Community involvement and service to others has always been important to Annette Irons-Parker. As a senior at Hanceville High School, she was awarded the Harold Brigham Award for Service to her school and community. She has continued to be actively involved in her community. Currently Annette Irons-Parker is the secretary for The Student Investment Foundation which is a non-profit organization devoted to providing assistance for Cullman County Schools, a member of the Board of Directors for Brooks Place, which is the Child Advocacy Center of Cullman; she is the President of the Second Century League of Cullman, a service organization that supports community charities such as the needs of foster children. She teaches Sunday school at Laodecia Baptist Church in Hanceville, where she has been a lifelong member, is a former Board Member of Cullman Caring for Kids, the Cullman Area Jobs Council, the Domestic Violence Task Force, and several non-profit animal rescues.

In 2010 Annette Irons-Parker was one of 30 attorneys from across the state selected to participate in the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum.