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How-to · Courts & legal

Apply for a court-appointed lawyer in Oregon

Use the statewide application if you cannot pay for a lawyer without substantial financial hardship.

Steps

3 steps
  1. Use the statewide application formStatewide forms from the Forms Center are accepted in all circuit courts.
  2. List income, assets, expenses and debtsGive amounts for yourself and your spouse or registered domestic partner combined.
  3. Sign the declarationYou declare the statements are true; the form is used as evidence in court.

Bring

  • Date of birth
  • Monthly income amounts
  • Employer names and addresses
Untrue information on the application can mean paying the full cost of your lawyer.
  • How-to

    Ask the court to enforce a custody or parenting order

    Courts & legal
    1. Choose the right enforcement packetMatch your situation: parenting time, withheld custody, or registering an out-of-state order.
    2. Register an out-of-state order firstIf the order came from another state, register and confirm it in an Oregon court.
    3. Use the parenting-time packetFor a valid order setting parenting time that the other parent is violating.
    + 2 more steps in the full guide
    BringYour current signed order or judgment
    Oregon Judicial Department541-682-4020
  • How-to

    Ask the court to reduce criminal fines or fees

    Courts & legal
    1. Check that you qualifyYour case cannot be on appeal. Debts from a final criminal judgment or contempt for nonpayment may be eligible.
    2. Fill out the formFill out the PDF by hand or use the online iForm, then print it. Describe your finances and barriers to paying.
    3. Turn it in at the court of your caseTake the completed form to the circuit court where your case occurred.
    + 2 more steps in the full guide
    BringYour financial situation and barriersA copy of the form for the DA
    CostNo fee to turn in this form
    Oregon Judicial Department
  • How-to

    Check if an old eviction was sealed or ask for proof

    Courts & legal
    1. Look up your case onlineSearch by record number, if you know it, or by the name you used in the case.
    2. Search more broadly if you cannot find itTry only the first two letters of your first or last name. Check a former name or alias.
    3. Request the sealing order for proofUse the Order Request Form. Review can take up to 90 days and the court mails the order to the address you give.
    + 1 more step in the full guide
    BringRecord number or name used in the case
    CostOnline records search is free
    Oregon Judicial Department