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We're About More Than Divorce

Divorce & Family Law Attorney in Keizer, Oregon | Regele Law

If you live in Keizer and you’re facing a divorce, a custody fight, or a parenting-plan change, you don’t need a lawyer in Portland and you don’t need to drive to one. Regele Law is a Salem family-law firm at 1415 Commercial St SE — about 15 minutes from River Road N — and we represent Keizer parents, state workers, and McNary High families every week. Founding attorney Stacy Regele has been named to Oregon Super Lawyers Rising Stars every year from 2021 through 2026 — six consecutive years, an honor given to fewer than 2.5% of eligible Oregon attorneys. If you want a quiet conversation about your options, call 503-396-4996.

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Why Keizer Families Choose Regele Law

Most of the Keizer families who call us aren’t looking for a fight. They’re looking for someone who’ll tell them the truth about Oregon law, take the temperature down, and only swing hard in court if that’s actually what’s needed. That’s the entire idea behind our practice: cooperative-first, courtroom-ready.

Stacy Regele, our founding attorney, practices exclusively family law and has earned Oregon Super Lawyers Rising Stars recognition for six straight years (2021–2026). The firm holds an Avvo 9.1 “Superb” rating and a 4.9-star Google review average from clients across Marion and Polk counties. We’re not a general-practice shop that takes a divorce on the side. Family law is what we do, full stop — which is why our tagline is “We’re About More Than Divorce. Our Practice Focuses On Your Family.”

Serving Keizer from Salem — The Local Picture

Keizer is its own city of roughly 39,000 people, but day to day it lives and breathes with Salem. River Road N runs you straight south into downtown. I-5 exits 256 (Chemawa) and 260 (Lockhaven/Keizer Station) put you on the freeway in under five minutes. And anything that doesn’t get handled at Keizer City Hall — including every divorce, custody, and child-support case filed by a Keizer resident — gets filed at the Marion County Courthouse, 100 High St NE in downtown Salem, about 12 to 15 minutes from most Keizer driveways.

We know the Keizer map the way our clients do. Gubser and Clearlake. Keizer Rapids Park, where you can watch the Willamette roll past Mt. Jefferson on a clear day. Volcanoes Stadium. The Iris Festival grounds. Claggett Creek and Whiteaker middle schools feeding into McNary High — the Celtics — which anchors the community calendar from football Fridays in the fall through graduation in June. We know Keizer Station is where most of our clients meet for coffee before a tough conversation, and we know Salem Health Salem Hospital is where most of our Keizer clients were born, had their kids, or said goodbye to a parent.

We also know that a big chunk of Keizer works for the State of Oregon at the Capitol or for Salem Health. That matters in a divorce — more on that in a second.

Family Law & Divorce Services for Keizer Residents

Here’s what we actually handle for Keizer families. If your situation isn’t on this list, call anyway — we’ll either help you or tell you who can.

Divorce (dissolution of marriage). Contested, uncontested, and everything in between. See our Divorce overview for the basics, or read our step-by-step guide to how divorce works in Oregon for the long version.

  • Cooperative divorce — for couples who want to dissolve the marriage without scorched earth. Often the right fit for Keizer families who still share school carpools and youth-sports sidelines.
  • LGBTQ same-sex divorce — same legal framework, with extra attention to the wrinkles that come up in marriages that pre-date or straddle the 2015 Obergefell decision.
  • Spousal support — Oregon’s three categories (transitional, compensatory, and maintenance) and how a Marion County judge actually weighs them.
  • Property division — Oregon is an equitable-distribution state, not a 50/50 state. There’s a difference, and it matters.

PERS and state-pension division. If you or your spouse have spent 22 years at the Capitol or in a Salem-Keizer 24J classroom, your PERS account is probably one of the two biggest assets in the marriage (the house being the other). Dividing it requires a separate court order and a careful read of which tier you’re in. We’ve done a lot of these.

Child custody and parenting time. Legal custody, physical custody, parenting plans, school-calendar logistics, and holiday schedules. Read how Oregon child custody cases actually work for the framework. We also have dedicated resources on fathers’ rights and same-sex custody.

Move-away and relocation cases. Salem-Keizer 24J is a big district with hard boundaries. If one parent wants to move from Clearlake to Silverton, or out of state for a new job, Oregon has very specific notice requirements and the court applies a multi-factor best-interest analysis. These cases are some of the hardest ones we handle, and they come up often in Keizer because of the school-district lines.

Child support and modifications. Setting it, collecting it, modifying it when a job changes. If you need to update an existing order, start with our guide to modifying child support in Marion County.

Modifications and enforcement. Life changes. So do orders. See family law order modification.

How a Family-Law Case Actually Works in Marion County

Most people have never been inside a courthouse. Here’s the short, honest version of what happens when a Keizer resident files a divorce or custody case.

Step 1: Residency. To file for divorce in Oregon, you (or your spouse) must have lived in the state for at least six months before filing. If both of you live in Keizer, you’ve cleared the bar a long time ago.

Step 2: Filing. Because Keizer is in Marion County, the petition gets filed at the Marion County Circuit Court, 100 High St NE, Salem, OR 97301. Our office is at 1415 Commercial St SE — roughly 1,500 feet south of the courthouse, about a four-minute walk. That proximity matters more than people think; if a judge asks for a missing document an hour before a hearing, we can hand-deliver it.

Step 3: Service. The other spouse has to be formally served. If everyone’s on speaking terms, this is usually a signed acceptance. If they aren’t, we use a process server.

Step 4: Response. Your spouse has 30 days to file a response. If they don’t, you can move for default.

Step 5: Temporary orders. Custody, parenting time, support, and use of the house can all be set on a temporary basis while the case is pending. In a Keizer family with school-age kids, getting a workable temporary parenting plan in place fast is usually job one.

Step 6: Mediation. Marion County requires mediation in most custody and parenting-time disputes before trial. A lot of cases settle here.

Step 7: Trial (or settlement). Most divorces don’t go to trial. The ones that do are usually about money, custody, or both. We prepare every case as if it will, because that’s how you get a fair settlement.

If you and your spouse aren’t sure divorce is the right step, our blog on legal separation vs. divorce in Salem, Oregon is a useful starting point.

Meet Your Keizer Family-Law Team

Stacy Regele, Founding Attorney. J.D., Willamette University College of Law, 2016; admitted to the Oregon Bar the same year. Stacy practices exclusively family law and has been named to Oregon Super Lawyers Rising Stars every year from 2021 through 2026. She was also recognized by Expertise.com as one of the Best Child Support Lawyers in Salem (2022) and holds 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, Associate Attorney. J.D., University of Oregon School of Law, 2022. Before joining Regele Law, Joey spent two years as judicial clerk to the Hon. Josephine H. Mooney on the Oregon Court of Appeals — a job that very few young Oregon attorneys ever land. He leads the firm’s estate planning, prenuptial/postnuptial agreement, and appellate work.

Jason Bowen, Paralegal. B.S. Legal Studies, Pioneer Pacific College. With the firm since 2021 and the person who often answers the phone when you call.

Read more on our testimonials page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I file my divorce in Keizer or Salem?

Neither, technically. Keizer doesn’t have a courthouse, and “Salem” is the city, not the court. Keizer is in Marion County, so your divorce or custody case gets filed at the Marion County Circuit Court, 100 High St NE in downtown Salem. From most Keizer addresses that’s a 12-to-15-minute drive down River Road or I-5.

My spouse and I both work for the state. How does PERS get divided?

Oregon PERS is a marital asset to the extent it was earned during the marriage. It usually gets divided with a separate court order directed at PERS itself. The math depends on which tier you’re in (Tier One, Tier Two, OPSRP), how long you’ve been employed, and what the marriage’s start and end dates are. This is a very common issue for Keizer state workers, and we handle it routinely.

How long does an Oregon divorce take?

A truly uncontested divorce can wrap up in roughly 90 days. Contested cases — anything with disputed custody, a fight over the house, or business valuation — usually run 8 to 14 months, sometimes longer. The Marion County docket and how cooperative both sides are make the biggest difference.

My kid goes to McNary and my ex wants to move them to a different district. Can they?

Not unilaterally. Oregon law requires a parent who wants to move a child a significant distance to give formal notice and, in many cases, get court approval if the other parent objects. Move-away cases are very fact-specific — the court looks at the child’s relationships, school, activities, and the reason for the move.

What does a Keizer divorce actually cost?

A simple uncontested divorce can come in under a few thousand dollars all-in. Contested custody cases or high-asset divorces with PERS, real estate, and business interests can run much higher. We’ll give you an honest estimate at the consultation rather than a sales pitch.

Does Regele Law represent fathers?

Yes. About half our parenting-time clients are dads. Oregon law does not favor mothers over fathers, full stop — see our page on fathers’ rights. If you live across the river in West Salem instead of Keizer, our West Salem family-law page covers the (slightly different) Polk County jurisdiction issues.

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.