503-396-4996

We're About More Than Divorce

Divorce & Family Law Attorney in Woodburn, Oregon

Regele Law is a Salem-based family law firm that takes care of Woodburn families on both ends of the I-5 exit 271 community — from young working parents in the neighborhoods off Front Street to retirees in Senior Estates. Founding attorney Stacy Regele has been named to Oregon Super Lawyers Rising Stars every year from 2021 through 2026, and our team handles Marion County divorce, custody, support, and estate matters with a cooperative-first approach. If you live in Woodburn and you’re trying to figure out your next step, we’d rather talk to you early than late.

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Why Woodburn Families Choose Regele Law

Woodburn is not one town. It’s at least two — sometimes three. A young, largely Latino working population raising kids near Lincoln and Washington elementary. A 2,500-household retirement community inside Senior Estates. A Russian Old Believer community out by the farms. The legal needs of those groups don’t overlap, and a lawyer who’s only handled one of them will miss things.

That’s where we come in. Stacy Regele practices exclusively family law, has earned the Oregon Super Lawyers Rising Stars honor six years running (2021–2026 — fewer than 2.5% of eligible Oregon attorneys make that list), and built her firm on the idea that most families do better when the divorce is resolved cooperatively when possible — and pushed hard in court when it isn’t. We carry a 4.9 Google average and a 9.1 “Superb” Avvo rating with the Client’s Choice Award. None of that matters until you need a lawyer. Then it matters a lot.

Serving Woodburn from Salem — The Local Picture

Our office sits at 1415 Commercial St SE in Salem, about a 25-minute drive south down I-5 from the Woodburn exit. From the Woodburn Premium Outlets, you can be in our conference room before the parking lot at the outlets even fills up on a Saturday.

A few things worth saying about Woodburn that matter when you hire a family-law attorney here:

  • Geography routes everything through Salem. Woodburn is in Marion County, which means every divorce, custody, and support case is filed at the Marion County Courthouse downtown — not Hillsboro, not Oregon City, even though those feel closer on a map. Plan for the drive.
  • Bilingual reality. Nearly 58% of Woodburn residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, one of the highest concentrations in Oregon. We work with families where one spouse prefers English, the other prefers Spanish, and the kids translate. We bring interpreters into meetings when that’s the better call — guessing at someone’s wishes in their second language is malpractice waiting to happen.
  • Senior Estates is its own world. The 55+ community on the west side has its own deed restrictions and HOA rules — and its own complications when a 35-year marriage ends. “Who keeps the house in Senior Estates?” is not a simple question, because age-restricted housing limits who can live there. We’ve untangled it.
  • Schools cross district lines. Woodburn School District serves most kids in town, but families on the edges may be in North Marion, Gervais, or Mt. Angel. Parenting plans need to match the actual school calendar, not the one you think your kid follows.
  • The hospital question. Emergency? You’re going to Legacy Silverton (20 minutes east on OR-214) or Salem Health (30 minutes south). That distance shows up in custody plans for any child with a chronic medical condition.
  • OR-99E and OR-214 put Hubbard, Aurora, Mt. Angel, and Silverton within easy reach. Centennial Park, the Bungalow Theatre on Front Street, and the Fiesta Mexicana grounds aren’t just landmarks — they’re how clients describe their daily lives at intake.

Family Law Services for Woodburn Residents

We handle the full range of family law. Here’s how it tends to look for Woodburn clients in particular.

  • Divorce. Oregon is a no-fault state. You don’t have to prove anyone did anything wrong. You do have to divide the property, settle support, and — if there are kids — build a parenting plan that works. We start every case by asking whether a cooperative divorce is realistic. Often it is. When it isn’t, we’re ready for court.
  • Gray divorce in Senior Estates. Marriages that end in retirement carry different math: Social Security timing, pension division, Medicare implications, and a house two people built equity in over decades. We’ve handled the Senior Estates gray divorce where the biggest fight is over the 55+ deed restrictions.
  • Spousal support. Oregon law recognizes transitional, compensatory, and maintenance support. Length of marriage, earning history, and the standard of living during the marriage all matter. For Senior Estates clients, support amounts often interact with Social Security — that gets technical fast.
  • Property division. Oregon uses equitable distribution, which doesn’t mean 50/50 — it means fair. If one spouse worked at a Woodburn food processor for 25 years and built a pension while the other raised the kids, the math has to reflect that.
  • Child custody and parenting time. Two kinds of custody under Oregon law: legal (decision-making) and physical (where the kids sleep). For mixed-status households, we’re especially careful about how custody orders are written so they don’t create immigration consequences nobody intended. Many Woodburn Bulldog families end up with kids attending school in two different districts after a separation — we draft parenting plans that match that reality.
  • Modifications. Lost a job at the outlets? Got a promotion at Legacy? Senior Estates spouse moving to assisted living? Existing custody, parenting, and support orders can be modified when life changes substantially.
  • Estate planning. Every divorce should be followed by a will update. For retirees in Senior Estates remarrying, prenuptial agreements and updated estate plans aren’t optional — they’re how you protect children from a first marriage.

Woodburn sits at the north end of Marion County. If your spouse has moved out to Silverton, Mt. Angel, or one of the smaller towns along OR-214, see our Silverton family-law page — same county, same courthouse.

How a Family-Law Case Actually Works in Marion County

Here’s the honest version of what happens after you decide to file.

Step 1 — Residency. Oregon requires that you or your spouse have lived in the state for at least six months before filing for divorce. If you moved to Woodburn from California in March, you can’t file in September. You can in October.

Step 2 — Filing. Marion County family-law cases are filed at the Marion County Courthouse, 100 High St NE, Salem, OR 97301. Our office is about 1,500 feet away — a four-minute walk. We file the petition, pay the filing fee, and get a case number.

Step 3 — Service. Your spouse must be formally served with the papers. That can be done by a process server, the sheriff, or sometimes by acceptance of service if everyone is cooperative.

Step 4 — Response. The other side has 30 days to respond. If they don’t, we may be able to take a default judgment.

Step 5 — Temporary orders. If you need a temporary custody, support, or restraining order while the case is pending, we file for it now. Marion County hears temporary-order motions on a regular calendar.

Step 6 — Mediation. Marion County requires mediation in most cases involving children before a court will hear contested custody or parenting-time issues. The county runs a mediation program, and many Woodburn families resolve the parenting plan there.

Step 7 — Discovery, negotiation, settlement. Most cases settle. We exchange financial information, value the property, and try to reach an agreement.

Step 8 — Trial, if needed. If we can’t settle, we try the case. Stacy and Joey are both comfortable in front of Marion County judges.

If you want the longer version, our blog post on how divorce works in Oregon walks through it in plain English.

Meet Your Woodburn Family-Law Team

Stacy Regele, founding attorney, earned her J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in 2016 and has practiced family law exclusively since being admitted to the Oregon Bar that same year. She’s been named to Oregon Super Lawyers Rising Stars every year from 2021 through 2026, was recognized by Expertise.com as one of the Best Child Support Lawyers in Salem in 2022, and carries the Avvo Client’s Choice Award.

“Stacy showed she actually cared about the outcome of my custody case — she exceeded my expectations immensely.” — Ryan, custody client (Avvo, April 2022)

Joseph “Joey” Crouch joined the firm after earning his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2022 and spending two years as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Josephine H. Mooney on the Oregon Court of Appeals. That appellate background matters when a case has unusual legal issues — exactly the kind that sometimes come up in mixed-status family situations or large Senior Estates property cases. Joey leads our estate planning, prenup/postnup, and appellate work.

Jason Bowen, our paralegal, has been with the firm since 2021 and holds a B.S. in Legal Studies from Pioneer Pacific College. He’s often the first person you’ll talk to. Read more from our clients on our testimonials page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to live in Woodburn before I can file for divorce in Oregon?

You or your spouse must have been an Oregon resident for at least six months before filing. There’s no separate Woodburn or Marion County residency requirement beyond that.

Where do Woodburn residents actually file family-law cases?

At the Marion County Courthouse, 100 High St NE in downtown Salem. It’s about a 25- to 30-minute drive south on I-5. Polk County (Dallas) does not have jurisdiction over Woodburn cases.

Do you have attorneys who speak Spanish?

We work closely with professional interpreters for every client meeting, deposition, and hearing where it’s helpful — and we plan that into the case from day one rather than scrambling later. If your preferred language is Spanish, tell us when you call. We’ll make sure the consult itself is something you can fully participate in.

My spouse and I both live in Senior Estates. Who keeps the house?

That depends on the deed, the HOA’s 55+ requirements, what other property you own, and whether one of you wants to buy the other out. Senior Estates’ age restrictions can complicate ordinary buyout arrangements because not every potential buyer qualifies. We’ve worked through it before.

How much does a divorce cost in Marion County?

The filing fee alone is several hundred dollars. Total cost depends almost entirely on how much the two sides fight. An uncontested divorce with a written agreement is dramatically cheaper than a contested custody trial. We’ll give you an honest estimate at your consultation.

How long does a Marion County divorce take?

A truly uncontested case can finish in about 90 days from filing. Most contested cases take six months to a year. Cases with serious custody disputes or complicated property — like a Senior Estates retiree with multiple retirement accounts — can run longer.

Schedule a Confidential Consultation

Talk to Regele Law before you make a decision you can’t undo. Schedule a confidential consultation at 503-396-4996 or request one online. We’ll listen, explain your options in plain English, and tell you honestly whether you need us, whether you need someone else, or whether you don’t need a lawyer at all.