Does anyone know where I can get legitimate legal advice in Oregon regarding how much I can reasonably be expected to pay in child and spousal support if I divorce?
Is there a national minimum? In the UK there’s an online calculator, have you tried to find one? Otherwise, a family lawyer?
It varies state by state. I have gotten vastly different numbers on different online calculators... I can't imagine having to pay as much as some of them say. I wouldn't be able to live off it! Someone I spoke to said she has never heard of someone with my income having to pay what I calculated out online... I can't afford a lawyer, but I don't want to give in and pay more than I can afford...
You'll need to call around to see if a lawyer would give you a free hour or so of their time ... it's possible someone would be willing to do that. Also many areas have low-cost or free representation for people who need help with family law matters. I would start with your local bar association, if there is one, or the Oregon State Bar. Or even a basic online search may turn up free ("pro bono") legal services. Good luck!
Usually when you look for an attorney there is a consultation first. Some are free consultations and some charge. I just got divorced and my lawyer used an app in his phone to calculate support. In Texas where I live there is Texas law help online. All one word if you look it up. There may be something similar where you live. Here we have legal aide for attorneys if you qualify. I didn't qualify financially because I still lived with him so his income counted against me. spousal support is based on how many years you were married. I think here it had to be 10+ years to qualify. I'm just telling you what we have here so you can look up to find out if you have something similar. I had to do some of my own filing before I hired an attorney. I couldn't afford an attorney so I begged my ex-husband to pay for my attorney and he did. If you have to get a loan for the divorce don't tell them you need it for divorce. Just say it's for personal spending. That's what I was told to say when applying from my friend who worked through a banking company.
You can start with the state bar association, they generally have a referral service. Some attorneys will give you a free 30 minute consult, but don't expect them to dump out tons of free advice; they'll give you some, but they of course want you to sign up for their services. There are a tremendous number of variables that go into calculating child support and alimony, based on income, geographic area, whether both spouses work, the lifestyle the spouse and child are used to, and many other factors so there's no general rule. And the general rule about who pay and under what circumstances also varies widely by state. This is something you definitely want an attorney with expertise in.
See if your local county has a resource / help center for their family law court. I paid for a lawyer but my county’s office actually gave better advice.
Check with your county court and see if they offer mediation that would include help figuring out the spousal support piece. I got divorced in Oregon this year and my county has free mediation available through the court. I'm not sure if it's statewide or just in certain counties. I didn't take advantage of it, so I don't know what all it covers, but it's worth checking into.
Hm... I wonder if you have to be a lane county resident. My county may or may not have the same service, but I am not far from Lane county.