WELCOME TO HOYER LAW

Thank you for entrusting your legal case to Hoyer Law.  We strive to provide personal, compassionate, and attentive service to each one of our clients.  We pride ourselves in being responsive and transparent in all aspects of your case.  In this document you will find information to help you understand how our firm works and what to expect while you are with us.  First things first, let’s meet the staff:

Casey Hoyer, Attorney:  Casey has been practicing family law and criminal defense in Oregon and Utah since 2003.

Missy Luke, Paralegal:  Missy is a NALA certified paralegal.  She is your main contact point at Hoyer Law and is highly responsive.

Analia Hoyer, Business Manager: Analia is the business manager and handles the financial aspect of each case.

YOUR CLIENT PORTAL

We have provided you with access to your secure, private portal from which you can:

• Communicate with the attorney and members of the staff;
• View all court dates and other events scheduled in your case;
• View documents filed by both parties;
• View all your invoices in detail and make credit card or check payments if needed;
• View your trust account balance and make deposits;
• Upload documents and images for your attorney and the staff to review.

We ask that you make every effort to use your secure client portal as it is how we will be communicating with you regarding every step and aspect of your case.

Communication

We are committed to return your emails and messages within 24-48 business hours.  Your first contact for questions and concerns should always be Missy.  Because Casey is often in court or mediation, she is the fastest method for getting answers! For billing questions, please contact Analia. Casey will contact you directly when he is actively working on your case if needed.  You can always contact any of the staff directly via your client portal.

Confidentiality

Your relationship with your attorney and his staff is highly confidential.  We recommend that you consider carefully who you would like to involve in any meetings and calls with your attorney.  It is also important that your secure client portal access is safeguarded.  Please ensure that no other person has access to your email account, especially in a divorce situation.  Because you are our client your input is the most important, and the only one that will be considered.  Our office will not be sharing information and communicating with anyone but you, our client.

Updates

Your client portal will be the best source for information regarding your case.  If you are unsure of where things stand you are always welcome to send a message or make a call to Missy for a status update.  You will be the first to know if there is something happening in your case.  Otherwise, “no news is good news.”  We try to minimize unnecessary billing by allowing you to follow up with us when you feel you need an update.

Timelines

We will begin working on your case within 10 business days from the signing of your retainer, unless Casey determines that there is an emergency situation which must be handled sooner.  You should have received a questionnaire which will provide us with a lot of information to draft your divorce documents.  Please be as thorough as possible when completing this information.  The more information we have, the faster we can work.  The sooner we receive the questionnaire back, the sooner we can begin working.

In our experience, most uncontested divorces are completed within 2-3 months.  Most contested divorces that are resolved through mediation take 4-5 months to be finalized.  Divorces that go all the way to trial may take up to one year to be finalized.  Our ability to control the timelines of each divorce are limited to each client’s responsiveness, the opposing party’s actions, scheduling availability for events outside our firm (mediators, court hearings, etc.) and availability of
funds in trust.

Trust account

Your case is set up as a trust account case, meaning that there was a deposit of funds (the retainer fee) made into an account at the time you retained our firm and it is kept in trust.  The attorney bills for his time and expenses and withdraws funds from the trust account as he does work.  There is a minimum trust account balance set for each case.  When your trust account reaches that minimum balance (usually between $300-$500) you will be asked to replenish your trust account.

The original retainer amount does not usually cover the entire cost of the case, but it does get the work started.  If the trust account is depleted during the course of the case you will be asked to replenish it.  If you are unable at any point to replenish your trust account the attorney will cease work on your case and will eventually need to withdraw as the attorney of record if you are unable to replenish the trust account.  Hoyer Law does not finance divorce cases.

You may be asked to replenish your trust account even if not at the minimum balance in anticipation of mediation, depositions, final document preparation, or trial.  If you are unable to replenish your account prior to these events they will be postponed until you are able to cover them in advance.

You can view your trust account balance and make additional deposits through your secure client portal.

Billing

Our firm bills on the 15^th and the 30^th of every month.  You will receive your invoices via your secure client portal and be able to review them in detail, including how much was charged from your trust account and what your trust
balance is after the current invoice.  If there are not enough funds in the trust account to cover an invoice, you will be given the option to pay the balance online.

Please note that our firm provides services, which take time.  Therefore, we bill for time spent on your case.  Any communication – phone calls, messages, emails, in-person consultations – with our firm is time spent and will be billed in intervals of no less than .2 of an hour (12 minutes).  You may consider this as you prepare information for Casey and include only those things which are necessary and directly relevant to your case.

Additional costs such as court fees, process service, recordings, etc., will be forwarded to you via regular invoices.

It is not unusual for a large portion of the retainer fee to be used at the beginning of the case, since we are spending a lot of time communicating with you and opposing parties, drafting documents and filing with the court.  Usually there is a lull in the billing after the Petition is filed.

Should you have any concerns regarding an invoice please contact Analia.  She will be happy to clarify any misunderstandings and address your concerns.  We pride ourselves in the transparency of our work and billings and want you to feel that your funds are being wisely managed.

Your responsibilities

We understand that you may be currently experiencing high levels of stress and worry.  Our firm is committed to help you through this time with objective guidance to protect your assets, your parent-time, and your future. In order to serve you best, we ask that:

• You keep your personal information updated so that we can reach you;
• You be responsive when we reach out to you;
• You provide the information we request on a timely basis;
• You ask questions if you feel you don’t understand the process;
• You keep your case funded so that it can continue to move forward.

THE DIVORCE PROCESS SIMPLIFIED