I have a contract that states that I must give 40 days of notice before leaving my job but (non-legal) friends say that Alabama is an At-Will state and so I can not be held to the contract and can leave when I please. I gave 21 days of notice to my employer and feel that is plenty but would like to know the legal side of it. Thanks in advance for any help.

At will employment applies to those not under an employment contract. You can try to work it out with the employer or they may try to sue you for breach of contract. You may want to speak with an attorney regarding the validity of the contract. You can locate one through the attorney locator on Lawinfo's home page at http://www.lawinfo.com/. Some do offer free consultations.