The questions people are embarrassed to ask

Yes, and it is a real conversation, not a screening. Twenty minutes on the phone with no obligation and no fee. If it turns out we are not the right practice for you, we will tell you that on the call and try to point you somewhere better.

No. A good portion of our first meetings are with people who are still deciding. Understanding what the process would actually look like is often what makes the decision possible, in either direction.

Whatever you already have, even if it is incomplete: recent pay stubs, a mortgage statement, retirement account balances, any papers you have been served. If you have none of that, come anyway. We can work out what is missing together.

Estate plans and uncontested stepparent adoptions are flat fees, quoted before you engage us. Everything else is hourly against a retainer, and you get a written estimate with a range at the start plus a re-forecast every month. Our rates run from $265 to $395 an hour depending on who does the work.

Short scheduling and status questions to Aaron are not billed. Substantive legal questions are, in six minute increments, and they appear on your invoice with a description you can actually read.

Often, yes. We set up monthly payment plans regularly and we would rather do that than have you go unrepresented. Ask on the first call; it is not an awkward question here.

Sometimes. Oregon courts can order a contribution toward fees where there is a large income disparity between the parties. It is not automatic and it is rarely the whole amount, but it is worth asking about early rather than late.

An agreed divorce, four to six months. A contested one, nine to eighteen. An agreed parenting plan, six to ten weeks. A stepparent adoption with consent, four to five months. An estate plan, three weeks. Those are honest medians, not best cases.

Most of our clients never do. Around four in five family law matters resolve by agreement, and an agreed judgment is usually signed by a judge without anyone attending a hearing.

One named attorney owns your matter start to finish, and you will know who that is before you sign anything. Aaron coordinates scheduling and documents. We do not hand files around, and you will never meet your lawyer for the first time on the courthouse steps.

Yes. We hold Thursday evenings until 7:30pm for people who cannot take time off work, and every meeting can be done over video if getting to Southeast Portland is the barrier.

No. That is a conflict of interest and no lawyer in Oregon can do it. If you want a genuinely neutral process, ask us about mediation, where a neutral third party helps you both reach an agreement and each of you can have your own lawyer review it.

We appear regularly in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington County, and we take matters across most of northwest Oregon. If your case is filed somewhere we do not practise, we will say so on the first call.

Yes. Ground floor, step-free from the Clinton Street entrance, an accessible restroom, and two reserved spaces at the rear of the building. Tell Aaron if you need anything else set up before you arrive.

You can, and people do. There is a corner of the meeting room with books and a small table. We will also happily hold the meeting over video instead so nobody has to arrange childcare.