Most Frequently Asked QuestionsWe have compiled a list of most frequently asked questions here for your convenience. If you have additional questions, we encourage you to call and set up a consultation with one of our attorneys. Our consults are very reasonably priced ($35) and are a good way to get some of your legal questions answered. Contact us to set up an appointment at a time convenient for you.
What happens at an initial consultation?
The initial consultation is your first one-on-one meeting with an attorney. This consultation has several purposes. First, the attorney answers questions you may have. Second, the attorney will discuss and recommend legal strategies that you may wish to pursue. Third, this is the start of a professional relationship where you get to know the attorney and the attorney gets to know you.
When you arrive, our receptionist will ask you to fill out a brief questionnaire where we ask how to contact you and who else may be involved with your case. The attorney will then meet you and take you to one of our conference rooms. The attorney will begin by asking you to explain your situation and what your concerns are. The conversation then develops based upon your needs and your legal situation. When you come to your consultation, please bring any documents, photographs, investigation reports or diagrams that you may have regarding your situation.
Before your consultation, try to write down questions you have and bring your list of questions with you. This way you are sure to ask all your questions. Often your attorney can give you the answers and advice you need during this initial consultation and no other work by your attorney may be necessary. For some, this is just the beginning of a relationship. For example, if you are involved in a divorce, you will wish for the attorney to prepare the documents you will need, negotiate with the other side and appear in court on your behalf. In these cases, the initial consultation becomes an essential beginning to legal representation.
Every case is different and the cost will depend on the complexity of your case and time needed to obtain your goals. Once you and your attorney have discussed the facts of the case and have decided how to obtain your goals, then your attorney can give you a realistic estimate of how much time, and therefore cost, is necessary to obtain your goals. For family law matters (divorce, child custody, support, etc.) our retainer is usually $2,000 to $3,500. For business law matters (business formation, contracts, negotiations) our retainer is usually $500 to $1,000. For criminal law matters (criminal and driving cases) our retainer is usually $500 to 2,500.
The standard practice within the legal community is to charge clients a "retainer." Retainers are deposits. Essentially, the attorney estimates how much a case will cost and asks the client to pay the retainer to cover those costs. When we receive a retainer we deposit it into a special bank account called a "Lawyer Trust Account." This account is separate from our firm's business bank accounts. Money is only removed from the Lawyer Trust Account after work is performed, costs incurred (investigator costs, process server costs, etc.) and we produce an itemized invoice that is issued to the client. Any money not used to pay for attorney fees and costs is refunded to the client at the conclusion of the case.
The answer depends on whether the divorce is contested (you can't agree on all issues) or uncontested, the complexity of the issues, and the cooperation (or lack of it) on the other side. An uncontested divorce can take as little as six hours of work for your lawyer. However, a contested case where child custody is at issue, can often require thirty hours of work by your lawyer.
For most of our attorneys, our standard rate depending upon which you hire is between $225 and $195 per hour and an uncontested divorce can often require less than 10 hours of work.
In theory, a divorce can now be filed and finalized in one day. Most people find the process takes from 3 months to a year or longer, depending upon the complexity of the issues to be resolved and the willingness of the parties to cooperate and compromise on issues. The degree to which spouses are cooperative or contentious will dictate the time necessary to complete a divorce. In general, most cases are finished in 6 to 9 months.
The answer depends on your company's needs. Oregon law allows for many different business forms (Sole Proprietorships, General Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships, S, C and PC Corporations, and Tenancies-in-Common). Each choice offers different levels of management flexibility and liability protection. We find that we often recommend either a Limited Liability Company or a "C" Corporation as these two business entities offer the best mix of liability protection and freedom of management.
Ride-Hel-J (as in Jump). Most people just say "R and A".
