Beaverton Divorce Attorney Michael Romano

If you are facing a divorce in Beaverton Oregon, hire a strong and caring advocate to represent you.

There are over 12,000 attorneys in Oregon.

Thousands of them practice divorce and family law throughout the state.

There are over a dozen divorce attorneys in Beaverton alone.

How do you even begin the process of finding a lawyer to represent you?

The best place to start is to schedule consultations with a few different lawyers, rather than to assume there is a “best” or “worst” attorney for every divorce case.

Every marriage is different. Every divorce is different.

Finding a divorce lawyer for your needs is much more about finding a good fit than attempting to find “the best.”

Pro tip: There is no such thing as “the best” lawyer. It’s entirely subjective. Who’s the best folk musician: Bob Dylan? Joni Mitchell? Joan Baez? Neil Young?

There’s no magic number, but meeting with three to five different divorce lawyers will provide you with a pretty good cross section of attorneys so you can consider various personalities, work ethics, communication styles, etc.

Schedule a consultation with each, take notes, and find out who is a good fit.

Websites and online reviews are helpful, but they can only tell you so much about who will be a right fit for your specific needs. You need to meet them in person, have a video conference with them, or have a telephone call with them.

Oregon Divorce Attorney Michael Romano has been a trial lawyer since 2000, and has been practicing divorce and family law for privately-retained clients since 2006. With a background in prosecution, Mr. Romano learned how to be persuasive long before he learned how to compromise or negotiate settlements.

In family law, it’s important to not be unreasonably aggressive. But it’s also important for your advocate to be able to fight for what’s important to you in court. That helps in resolving cases from a position of strength rather than resignation.

Your lifelong relationship with your children and your financial security is our top concern.

We have offices in Beaverton, in order to serve clients in Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, King City, and Sherwood. Our office is conveniently located above Beaverton City Hall, with plenty of parking and elevator access.

Note: During the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020, our firm is doing only telephone and video consultations (via Zoom, Apple’s Facetime, and Google’s Duo).

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Divorce Services

Do you offer free consultations?

Our consultations are offered at a minimal charge in order to separate serious prospective clients, from do-it-yourselfers or people looking for a free advice. We’ve found this necessary over the years because we do not do any low-cost or pro bono work, and we don’t offer document review or ala carte services. We take the entire case on– from beginning to end– or not at all. We’ve found this results in better outcomes for our clients, and a better experience for our firm. The end result is focused work on your case, which is professional, thorough in detail, and comprehensive.

Do You Specialize in Divorces For Men, Or Women?

Some Oregon divorce attorneys advertise themselves as “divorce attorneys for men” or “divorce attorneys” for women. We do not discriminate, and we do not attempt to exclude. Mr. Romano represents both men & women, and mothers & fathers, in divorce and child custody cases. However, Mr. Romano does not offer joint representation (e.g. he does not simultaneously represent both parties to a case, as that often creates conflicts of interest).

How Long Will The Divorce Take?

This is always a tough question to answer because so much depends on the details of the case. But in general, you should expect that a typical divorce case will take several months to a year (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the slowdown of the local courts).

How Much Will My Divorce Cost?

This is another good question, but a tough one to answer. The cost of your case–in terms of legal fees–will depend on the complexity of the case, and how far apart the parties are in terms of preferred outcomes. In general, we require a $5,000 retainer to begin work on a case. But that retainer increases to $15,000 if the case is set for trial. These figures do not mean that’s what the case will cost, but they are ballpark figures to help you understand what it costs to retain an experienced divorce attorney in the Beaverton metro area.

Where Will My Divorce Case Be Heard?

If you live in Beaverton Oregon or nearby, your divorce case will need to be filed in Washington County Circuit Court. The county seat for Washington County is in Hillsboro, and at this time, there is no court annex in Beaverton. This means all court appearances will be in Hillsboro. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most procedural court appearances are being waived, and phone calls or video conferences are acceptable. Trials are being done via video or phone, unless there’s an exceptional need for in-person testimony, complete with masks and social distancing in the courtroom.

How Can I Start The Divorce Process?

As mentioned above, the best place to begin is with a few consultations. Given that you are going to be working with your divorce attorney for likely several months, it’s important to find a good fit. Once you’ve selected an attorney and retained them, he or she will likely have you fill out a lengthy questionnaire. This is to get a better idea of the issues that will come up in your case. You’ll then draft a petition for dissolution of marriage, and file it with the Washington County Circuit Court. A packet is then created with the petition and related materials, and served on the opposing party. You’ll want to speak with your attorney about temporary relief such as temporary child custody and parenting time, exclusive use of the marital residence, exclusive use of vehicles, and also temporary child support, spousal support, and attorneys fees. These matters can either be filed in the initial stages, or at a later date. Once the divorce case is up and running in-earnest, you’re going to want to set aside a few hours each week to work on it– both on planning and gathering of documents, witnesses, and evidence that may be needed in the case.

I’d Like To Know More

With the current COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020, we are scheduling all consultations by video or phone. If you would like to set up a consult, please contact us here. The consultations are low-cost, informative, confidential, and convenient.