New Case Law: Satisfying the original purpose behind support, Part II
In a case decided the same day as Cheever, discussed below, the Court of Appeals determined that a support order should not be terminated — even after the remarriage of an ex-spouse — where the…
New Case Law: Satisfying the original purpose behind support, Part I
Very often people expect that there is one hard-and-fast formula that courts apply to awarding spousal support in every case. While there are statutes that outline the factors that a court should look at when…
Common Divorce Myth: Courts Always Keep Kids Together
There is a fair amount of truth to this myth, actually. Placement of children in a dissolution action (and in any custody proceeding) is based on the “best interest of the child,” and often keeping…
The perfect client
What a lawyer thinks of as a “perfect client” in the domestic relations sense is a client who helps the process of the dissolution, custody, or support matter along. We know how hard this process…
Common Divorce Myth: You only get spousal support if you don’t have a job
Yesterday I stopped by the family law facilitation office at the Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro. The person I wanted to speak with there had a room full of people waiting to be helped, so…
Filing costs for dissolution, custody, and other family law matters
Everyone wants to know how much their family law matter is going to cost. Your legal fees — well, that’s a matter between you and your attorney. Do you need a custody evaluation ? That…
Common Divorce Myth: “Title matters” in how property is divided
Many divorcing couples believe that “title matters.” I hear time and time again, “the house (or stock, or stock options, or investment property) are in my name so I will get them in the divorce,…
Meeting your attorney for the first time
You’ve wondered if you should talk to a lawyer about getting a divorce, weighing if you’re ready to take the next step. You go back and forth, thinking maybe things will get better – but…
To sell or not to sell?
In 2003, the Oregon legislature passed a bill that automatically prevents parties in a dissolution of marriage case from engaging in certain activities once the case is filed, for the petitioner, or after service of…
How is Child Support Calculated?
One of the first things a prospective client in a case involving child custody wants to know is “how much child support will I get?” (The real answer is “what the judge orders,” but clients…
