Stahancyk, Kent & Hook Rolls Out Oregon’s First Do-It-Yourself Divorce Website
Stahancyk, Kent & Hook P.C. Tuesday launched its statewide service Divorce on Demand, Oregon’s premier self help solution to divorce.
Divorce on Demand guides users through the complex paperwork required to file a divorce petition through a simple call-and-response interface, with petition packages starting at $249. Through innovative software and the expertise of dozens of top legal professionals, court administrators, bar members, judges and practicing attorneys in Oregon, Divorce on Demand is set to increase access for Oregonians to legal services.
For a divorce to be initiated in Oregon, a petition for divorce must be filed. But the paperwork isn’t simple. It’s repetitive, dry, and full of nuanced legal jargon. As of 2015, in 80 percent of divorces in Oregon, at least one party does not hire an attorney. The result is thousands of Oregonians using Google, best guesses, and “phoning a friend” to slog their way through complex legal jargon. One mistake and the paperwork can be considered incomplete.
“A legal problem should be in tandem with a legal solution,” said Stahancyk Kent & Hook shareholder Laurel P. Hook, who volunteered with legal aid services nearly two decades ago. “Two people will know how to solve their legal problem, but our complicated legal system prevents them from achieving their goal.”
Through affordability and a first-class user experience, Divorce on Demand bridges the gap for Oregonians who don’t want to hire an attorney.
Stahancyk, Kent & Hook shareholders Joel J. Kent, Bradford F. Miller, Jody L. Stahancyk, and Laurel P. Hook first conceptualized the project in 2011 when they identified the need for unbundled, affordable legal services.
Translation services in Spanish and Russian have also been made available to address the needs specific to non-native speakers of English. The service is available in all 36 Oregon counties.
