About Bend Family Law*

Divorce and other family law problems almost always involve some degree of conflict. That conflict often grows worse as the problem makes its way through an adversarial legal system. The legal professionals at Bend Family Law strive to help their clients resolve these problems in a cooperative and economical way. Even after the divorce is final, spouses still are co-parents of their children. Even after the family legal problem is resolved, it is still part of each individual's personal history. It is in the best interest of the children as well as the adults for mutual respect, cooperation and co-parenting to continue after the transition is made. At Bend Family Law, we focus on a non-adversarial legal model designed to help families accomplish their legal goals while they maintain mutual respect and cooperation. The financial costs of traditional adversarial family law can be huge, and the long-lasting negative emotional costs can be devastating. At Bend Family Law, we recognize that most families could send at least one child through college for what they pay for their dissolution of marriage. We believe the traditional adversarial model is not the best way to do dissolutions for either children or the spouses. There is another way - one focused on informed and considered cooperation between the spouses.

Bend Family Law Can Help You Keep the Court Process from Tearing Your Family Apart

Child Custody, Parenting Time and Child Support
The traditional legal system is based on an adversarial process where opposing parties must "fight it out" in order to bring all the information before the judge who makes the decision. "Fighting it out" forces people to do and say things in court and in court documents which often cause irreparable harm to their relationships with each other, their children, friends, and other family members. When you go to court on a family law matter, at best the Judge gets only a small "snapshot" of your life. Based on that small "snapshot," the Judge makes a final decision which the whole family must live with. Bend Family Law can help you control the final outcome of your dissolution through cooperative and respectful negotiation. Even after the divorce is over, spouses continue to share the common experience of their married years and their children. The best interest of the children as well as the spouses is for mutual respect and co-parenting to continue. This is best accomplished by Bend Family Law's non-adversarial legal model designed to help families meet their legal goals with respect, cooperation, and a reasonable price tag.

Bend Family Law Can Lead You Through The Court System and Help You Find Resolution

Legal Process and Procedure
Many individuals who enter the family court process find themselves lost in the labyrinth of paperwork, hearing notices, orders, service requirements, rules of evidence and court time-lines. Without competent assistance, it is easy to make mistakes, get lost and end up right where you started. Bend Family Law believes that people need professional legal assistance to help them on their journey through the legal labyrinth. Most people need legal assistance with identifying what issues need to be resolved, arriving at a resolution and drafting the papers to accurately reflect their resolution in such a manner that they will be acceptable to the Court. Let us guide your on your path through the family court process.

Bend Family Law Can Help You Navigate the Financial Realities of Divorce

Property Division
Individuals facing divorce not only face an emotional restructuring, but also a financial restructuring of their lives. Divorcing spouses must decide how to divide their homes, properties and personal properties such as vehicles, jewelry, art, antiques, bank accounts, and retirement accounts, to name a few. They also have to figure out how they will support themselves in separate households after the dissolution. Bend Family Law is committed to separating the emotional from the financial in order to assist you in achieving balance and long-term stability in your new life after divorce.

Bend Family Law Can Provide Assistance With and Access to the Legal System for People Who Cannot Afford Traditional Legal Services

Limited Legal Services
The traditional adversarial system allows family law opponents to wage a "war of attrition" by eating up families' financial resources with countless attorney hours invested in motions, hearings and arguments. The complex nature of the legal system dictates that most individuals cannot afford to retain an attorney for full-service representation. Bend Family Law's limited legal services specifically details the tasks the attorney and client will each perform in the attorney-client relationship so that attorney assistance can be accessible and affordable. Let us be there for you.

* Some situations should not be dealt with in a cooperative model, such as family issues concerning domestic violence and child abuse. If you think you may be facing one or more of these issues, please consult with law enforcement, the Oregon Department of Human Services, or an attorney, at once.      [back to top]