The family law attorneys of Johnston, Root & Leibenguth, P.C. provide a special brand of family law counseling and litigation. Our three attorneys have a cumulative 56 years of concentrated practice experience in family law. Ronald Allen Johnston founded the firm in 1985, at a time when family law began emerging as a recognized law practice specialty. Since that time, the firm has devoted nearly all of its time and efforts to the practice of family law. The attorneys of Johnston, Root, & Leibenguth, P.C. have striven during that time to make the firm one of the leading family law firms in Oregon.
We are pleased and proud that Johnston, Root & Leibenguth, P.C. has received the prestigious "AV" rating from the Martindale-Hubbell law directory. This rating reflects the opinion of other lawyers in the field that the members of Johnston, Root & Leibenguth, P.C. are considered to have "very high to preeminent" legal ability in family law.
We are a small firm, but this works to the advantage of our clients because we give each client intense personal attention. Cases do not get "handed around," as sometimes happens in larger family law firms.
A family law lawyer in the twenty first century should possess the following attributes:
For many people, divorce and the surrounding issues may be one of the most profound legal, financial, and emotional undertaking of their lives. An experienced divorce attorney can provide insight into each of these areas. Each of our attorneys have excellent technical knowledge of family law. Our attorneys have the experience to counsel and guide distressed clients through the minefield of emotions and law that is present in most family law cases. Where appropriate, we can be hard-nosed and effective litigators. A better result for most clients, however, is to resolve their case prior to trial. In this regard, we pride ourselves on being creative and innovative negotiators and "finders of solutions." We have the experience to decisively determine which issues should be litigated and which issues should be settled. Each attorney is experienced in resolving disputes by mediation, arbitration, settlement conferences, and other forms of alternate dispute resolution.
Our firm tries to stay abreast of the technical developments in domestic relations law. Each attorney far exceeds the required minimum requirements for continuing legal education of the Oregon State Bar, often by two or three times. We make it a point to be aware of and aggressively use the provisions of Oregon Revised Statutes, Oregon Rules of Evidence, and Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure to the best advantage of our clients. Many family law attorneys skip steps and do sloppy lawyering in family law cases. We simply do not do this.
Most family law decisions are based on the trial judge's discretion, personal sense of fairness, and experience. Because of this, we make a concerted effort to learn how individual family law judges deal with various family law matters, and we share this information among ourselves by collegial consulting and by regularly scheduled attorney meetings in which each attorney of the firm shares his or her recent experiences with the other attorneys. Very few law firms in Oregon make this effort.
We are dedicated to the concept of "superior client service." The final decision in most matters is made by a judge, and accordingly we cannot guarantee any particular result in most cases. We do guarantee that we will always tell our clients what we think and why. If we believe that a client is making a faulty decision, we will so advise the client. We also will guarantee that each attorney will do his or her utmost to solve each client's problem in a timely and effective manner.
Family law is a difficult law practice area. There are very few issues that are decided on "the letter of the law." There are few "right or wrong" decisions in family law. Some clients are willing to pay us their entire net worth to obtain custody of their child. Other clients readily concede custody but want to diligently protect their business and retirement assets. Each family law case is as different and unique as the client. We recognize this. We counsel our clients to make the best choice available. We try to listen to our client's, however, and to address each specific client's goals and ambitions.
When considering which family law attorney to consult with or to retain, use the above criteria to compare our firm against other family law attorneys.