Bethany Powers Flint Bend Family Mediation

R e p r e s e n t a t i o n

Legal Advice and Drafting. This service is for individuals who want a family law attorney to advise them and to prepare all necessary documents to effectuate resolution without litigation. The client will receive basic information about Oregon Law and process relevant to his/her case as well as professional guidance in collecting and interpreting information necessary for settlement.
Limitations of Representation: Bethany will not perform certain services or responsibilities that would ordinarily be undertaken if she were representing you in a full-service retained attorney-client relationship, for example Bethany does not collect documents and information necessary to your decision-making, Bethany does not appear in court for you, and Bethany does not communicate with insurers or financial institutions on your behalf. The client bears the responsibility for gathering information on the extent of assets and debts and their values, among other things, in this process.
Flat Fee to Control your Budget. The cost for this service may vary with the complexity of the case, but generally the fee is a flat fee of $1,200 plus court fees. Please call to set a consultation appointment to determine if this service is right for you and your family.
If the Other Party Does not Intend to Participate. This process is useful in cases where the parties have negotiated most of the terms or where one party does not intend to participate or will be "defaulted."

Point of Service Legal Advice Controls Costs. What is provided in limited legal services is what the client needs and can afford. Limited Legal Services, also called "unbundled" services, allows the attorney and the client to discuss issues and options for limited scope representation, and then apportion the tasks in the proceeding between the client and the attorney.
All Work is Done During Meetings. If you need help putting an agreement into enforceable "legal language" for filing with the Court, you can meet with Bethany and work through it and draft language in session. Also, Bethany will assist you with child support calculations and understanding the child support calculator, as well as drafting a parenting plan.
Advice on Court-Form Pro Se Documents. You can meet with Bethany to review the "do-it-yourself" dissolution (or other family law) papers provided by the Oregon Judicial Department (see the Links page) to make sure nothing is left out and that it says exactly what you want it to, and will do what you expect that it will do. Bethany will also advise you about timing and sequence of filing of "do-it-yourself" dissolution (or other family law) papers and whether you need services that may exceed this scope like Temporary Orders, Enforcement Orders or other complex litigation matters.

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Traditional Legal Services - Dissolution and Other Family Matters

While negotiated resolutions is Bethany's goal, the reality is some cases may not be resolved outside the courtroom. For these cases, Bethany is able to provide full, traditional legal representation.
Full traditional legal representation starts with you entering into a contract with (or "retaining") the attorney to take all actions on your case for you. This may include drafting all legal documents, communicating with the opposing party or their lawyer, doing "discovery" (which means acquiring all the information necessary to present your case), and appearing in court for temporary hearings and trials.
Generally, a retainer for this type of case is $5,000 and Bethany's hourly litigation rate is $195 per hour, charged in tenths of an hour (.1) or every six minutes. Typically this retainer pays your filing fees and costs and pre-pays the attorney at the attorney's hourly rate. It does not include the cost of experts such as custody evaluators or appraisers or the cost of preparation of Qualified Domestic Relations Orders. A retainer is NOT a flat fee and it is NOT an estimate of what the total cost of your case will be. What your retainer does and does not cover depends entirely upon what you and your attorney agree on in writing. If retainer is left after your case is completed, the unused portion will be returned to you. Please call or e-mail to make an appointment with Bethany to determine if this type of representation is necessary for you.