Family Law
Family harmony is important to us. We provide advocacy to families when life’s toughest issues make you feel hurt, distraught, or angry. Family law refers to the area of law focused on marriage, civil unions, domestic partnerships, divorce, property settlements, spousal support (alimony), adoption, child custody, child support, and parenting time. We also help our clients with post-marital agreements and premarital agreements, also called prenuptial agreements.
Divorce
We assist our clients with initiating and/or navigating divorce proceedings Oregon. In a divorce proceeding, two individuals dissolve their marriage and in the process decide in division of debt, property, and more. The thought of meeting with a divorce attorney can be scary. We are here to listen and help guide you through this difficult process.
child custody, Parenting time & support
Custody of a minor child is often vitally important to the parents, and parenting time is a key aspect of a child’s life. Divorce may end the relationship between spouses, but it does not end the relationship between parent and child, so the establishment of custody is very important.
adoption
We help clients who want to adopt a child. We take great joy in our ability to help unite families through the process of adoption. Step-parent adoption is not just a legal process, it is a demonstration of affection and commitment.
premarital agreements
A premarital agreement, also called a prenuptial agreement, is a contract. Two people enter into the agreement before they marry or enter into a civil union. The goals of the agreement vary but many include provisions regarding division of property or spousal support if the marriage/union were to ever dissolve.
To find out more about prenuptial agreements, follow this link.
contempt and enforcement
If a court issued an order and someone isn’t following it, you may decide to pursue a contempt hearing to help enforce the order. Contempt of court occurs when someone willfully ignores or violates a court order. Court orders for child support, spousal support, parenting time, property division, and attorneys fees are just a few examples of orders that should be followed if someone does not want to face contempt of court charges.
garnishement
Child support is a financial obligation that state and federal laws take seriously. In order to pay for support, wages can be reduced before the person who owes child support receives their paycheck. Yet, the amount of money that can be garnished from wages is limited by Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Wage garnishment is not the same as wage withholding. When wages are garnished, the process is often initiated by the attorney of an opposing party. Wage withholding is initiated by a court with a court order and it results in a continuous, monthly withdrawal of money from someone’s salary.
“Families come to our firm because we care about how they feel. We want to help them pivot to a new beginning. We care about our clients. It shows in everything we do. Our team approach, deep experience and attention to detail deliver results.”
– Kristin LaMont