Salem, OR asked in Family Law and Probate for Oregon

Q: I am a grandmother trying to get INTERVENOR status and apply for probate guardianship of my granddaughter. How? Forms?

The atty I consulted asked for a $5000 retainer which is beyond my means. Can you please just show me how to do it? A sample? The forms? Thank you

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1 Lawyer Answer
Joanne Reisman
Joanne Reisman
Answered
  • Probate Lawyer
  • Portland, OR
  • Licensed in Oregon

A: There aren't any do it yourself forms and you really need to have an attorney to help you with this. A $5,000 retainer is pretty reasonable for a case involving custody which this essentially is. In fact, $10,000.00 or more is more common. You need to understand that you might have to pay for an expert to testify and they don't come cheap and the attorney is not going to pay for it. I don't know the facts of your case but expert witnesses are often essential in custody cases and these case can get very expensive due to the costs of expert witnesses. If you just want to get your foot in the door without an attorney you can hire an attorney just to draft the pleadings for you and that will keep the cost down, but that is like hiring someone to build a boat for you and you still don't know how to sail it. My best advice is to raise money to pay for an attorney and get a good attorney. Also make sure you are getting good advice before you waste your money. The legal rights of grandparents are hard to establish so you need someone who knows what they are doing.

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