The rest of what we have written about Oregon. Every figure is quoted from Oregon’s own statute or its courts’ own published schedule, and carries the date we last checked it.
Free and low-cost divorce help in Oregon
There is no public defender for a divorce in Oregon, or anywhere else — the right to a free lawyer is a criminal-case right, and a divorce is a civil case. What exists instead is on this page, with the link to each one. Start with the fee waiver and the question of whether your spouse can be made to pay your legal fees, because those two are the ones people never think to ask about.
See a different stateOregon
The short version4 points · tap one to jump to it
- The five things to try, in this order
- Legal aid in Oregon — Legal aid organizations are funded to serve people under an income threshold, and family cases are one of the areas they most often take.
- Worth knowing about Oregon — You hire a lawyer for one piece — one hearing, one document, a review of an agreement before you sign it — and do the rest yourself.
- What we could not confirm for this state — Compiled 31 August 2026 from each organization’s own site, the state courts and the state bar.
In this subject 5
The five things to try, in this order
Ordered by how much they are worth relative to how hard they are, not alphabetically.
- Ask about the filing fee waiver. In Oregon it is called Fee Waiver / Fee Deferral Application. Lets a filer ask the court to waive the filing fee (file for free) or defer it (pay later); filing fee for a petitioner is around $301 per one source, waived/deferred under state law for qualifying low-income filers.
- Ask whether your spouse can be ordered to pay your lawyer. In a judgment of marital annulment, dissolution, or separation, the court may award reasonable attorney fees and costs and expenses reasonably incurred in connection with the proceeding. (Or. Rev. Stat. sec. 107.105(1)(j))
- Check the statewide legal-aid portal. Oregon Law Help lists the program that covers your county and what it takes.
- Use the court self-help service. Oregon Judicial Department Self-Help Center / Family Law Self-Help. Guidance on marriage, divorce, separation, and annulment; fee waiver/deferral application; also references free/low-cost legal help by phone at 503-684-3763 or toll-free in Oregon 1-800-452-7636.
- Try the bar referral service. Oregon State Bar Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) and Modest Means Program (MMP). Standard LRS: up to 30-minute initial consultation for a maximum fee of $50. Separate Modest Means Program for financially qualifying applicants: attorneys agree to an initial ~30-minute consultation for about $35 and a reduced hourly rate thereafter (no more than $60/$80/$100 per hour depending on attorney). MMP phone (503) 620-0222 / LRS (503) 684-3763.
Legal aid in Oregon
Legal aid organizations are funded to serve people under an income threshold, and family cases are one of the areas they most often take. Being turned down by one is not the end of it — the threshold, the caseload and the priorities differ by program and by month.
| Organization | Who it covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) | most of Oregon (some counties served by other legal aid organizations) | Free legal services; a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and other services listed via Oregon Law Help’s legal directory. One regional example found: an org serving people at or below 250% of poverty, phone (541) 617-7057. |
Worth knowing about Oregon
- Oregon’s Modest Means Program is unusually well documented with specific capped hourly rates, useful detail for the site.
- We could not confirm a specific Oregon law school family law or divorce clinic (Lewis & Clark, University of Oregon, Willamette), so none is listed.
Limited scope representation. You hire a lawyer for one piece — one hearing, one document, a review of an agreement before you sign it — and do the rest yourself. It costs a fraction of full representation and it puts a lawyer in the two or three moments that actually change the outcome. How it works, and where it is permitted.
What we could not confirm for this state
Listed rather than filled in. Every one of these is something we went looking for and could not stand behind.
- a single statewide fee-waiver form number, which in many states does not exist because each court uses its own
- a law school family law clinic we could confirm is currently running
If you know one of these and we have it wrong or missing, tell us and we will check it and credit the correction.
Compiled 31 August 2026 from each organization’s own site, the state courts and the state bar. Legal aid funding and eligibility change, sometimes mid-year. Always check the link before relying on anything here. Corrections welcome.
Keep reading
- The national picture — fee waivers, unbundling, fee awards
- The Oregon divorce kit — forms, fees and deadlines
- Doing it without a lawyer
- Questions to ask a lawyer
- What divorce costs
- What two households cost