What we do

Four kinds of hard thing

A deliberately narrow practice, so that the four things we do are things we do well. Here is what each one actually involves.

  • Two ceramic cups on a wooden kitchen table in early morning light

    Divorce and separation

    Ending a marriage without ending up as strangers who hate each other. Most of our divorces settle at a table, not in a courtroom.

    • Uncontested and collaborative divorce
    • Contested divorce and trial
    • Legal separation
    • Property and debt division, including a family business
    About divorce
  • A parent and small child walking hand in hand down a tree lined Portland street in autumn

    Custody and parenting time

    Building a schedule your children can actually live inside, and holding the other parent to it when they will not.

    • Initial custody and parenting plans
    • Modifications when a plan stops working
    • Enforcement when the other parent will not follow it
    • Relocation, in state and out of state
    About custody
  • A small child hand held gently inside two adult hands on a knitted blanket

    Adoption

    The one part of family law that ends in a celebration. Stepparent, agency, foster and second-parent adoptions across Oregon.

    • Stepparent adoption
    • Second-parent and confirmatory adoption
    • Agency and independent adoption
    • Adoption of a child in foster placement
    About adoption
  • An older couple sitting together at a kitchen table with a folder and two mugs

    Estate planning and guardianship

    Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and guardian nominations. An afternoon of paperwork that spares your family a year of guessing.

    • Wills and revocable living trusts
    • Durable powers of attorney
    • Advance directives for health care
    • Guardian nominations for minor children
    About estate planning

If it is not one of these four

We do not take criminal matters, personal injury, immigration, employment or business disputes, and we do not dabble. If your situation sits outside family law, tell us on the first call anyway. Between the four of us we have thirteen years of knowing who in Portland is genuinely good at the thing you need, and that referral is free.

We also keep a short list for the situations where you may not need a lawyer at all: the Multnomah County family law facilitator, Legal Aid Services of Oregon, and the Oregon State Bar referral service. We would rather say that out loud than take a retainer for something you could do yourself in an afternoon.

Ask us where to go

Start with a conversation, not a commitment

Twenty minutes on the phone, free, with somebody who will tell you plainly whether you even need a lawyer for this.

Book a consult(503) 914-2270