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How Much Does an Attorney Cost in Oregon? Hourly Rates, Flat Fees, and What Common Cases Run

Attorney cost in Oregon for 2026: hourly rates by region, flat fees for wills, divorce, and DUII, contingency terms, what common cases run, and low-cost options.

How Much Does an Attorney Cost in Oregon? Hourly Rates, Flat Fees, and What Common Cases Run

Attorneys in Oregon charge about $250 to $450 per hour in 2026, with Portland firms at the top of that range and lawyers in Bend, Medford, Eugene, and Salem generally lower. Flat fees cover a lot of routine work, from $1,500 to $3,500 for a simple will and trust package to $1,500 to $5,000 for a straightforward DUII defense. Contingency cases like personal injury cost nothing up front and take a third or more of any recovery.

Those are the headlines. The real answer depends on the kind of case, the experience of the lawyer, where in Oregon you are, and how contested the matter turns out to be.

A divorce with agreed terms and no kids can cost $2,000. The same divorce with a custody fight and a business to value can cost $50,000.

Here is how attorney fees work in Oregon and what the most common types of cases run.

Hourly Rates Across Oregon

The Oregon State Bar surveys its members on billing rates, and the pattern is consistent. Portland-area attorneys with 10 or more years of experience bill $350 to $500 per hour, and partners at the large downtown firms bill more. Associates with a few years of experience bill $225 to $325.

Outside the Portland metro, rates drop. Eugene, Salem, Bend, and Medford attorneys typically bill $225 to $375 per hour. Rural counties in Eastern and Southern Oregon have fewer attorneys and rates from $200 to $325, though the shortage of lawyers in places like Burns, Lakeview, and John Day means you may be hiring someone from Bend or Portland anyway.

Paralegal time is billed separately at $100 to $175 per hour, and a good firm uses paralegals for document work to hold down your bill.

Retainers

Most Oregon attorneys billing hourly require a retainer, which is a deposit held in trust and billed against. Retainers for family law run $3,000 to $10,000. For business litigation, $5,000 to $25,000.

For criminal defense, the retainer is often the full flat fee. Ask whether the retainer is refundable if the case ends early, and get the answer in the fee agreement.

Flat Fees for Routine Work

A simple will in Oregon runs $300 to $800. A will with a revocable living trust, powers of attorney, and health care directives runs $1,500 to $3,500 for an individual and $2,000 to $4,500 for a couple. Trusts are common in Oregon because probate here is slower and more expensive than in many states, and a trust avoids it.

An uncontested divorce with no children and agreed terms runs $1,500 to $3,500 in flat fees at many firms. Adding children, a house, or retirement accounts to divide pushes it to $3,500 to $7,000 even without a fight.

A DUII defense in Oregon runs $1,500 to $5,000 flat for a first offense that resolves through diversion, and $5,000 to $15,000 or more if the case goes to trial. Oregon's diversion program is available to most first-time offenders and most cases resolve that way.

Real Estate and Business

Reviewing a residential purchase contract runs $300 to $800. Forming an LLC with an operating agreement runs $800 to $2,000.

Reviewing a commercial lease runs $500 to $1,500. Most business attorneys in Portland and Bend offer flat fees for these.

Contingency Fees for Injury Cases

Personal injury, medical malpractice, and some employment cases in Oregon are handled on contingency, meaning the attorney takes a percentage of the recovery and nothing if there is no recovery. The standard is 33 percent if the case settles before a lawsuit is filed, 40 percent if it settles after filing, and sometimes 45 percent if it goes through trial.

Case costs are separate. Filing fees, expert witnesses, depositions, and medical records can run $2,000 to $50,000 depending on the case, and the fee agreement should say whether those come out of your share or the attorney's. Oregon rules require the agreement to be in writing.

Workers compensation attorneys in Oregon are paid out of the benefits they win under a fee schedule set by the state, so there is no out-of-pocket cost.

What Common Cases Cost Start to Finish

A contested divorce with children in Oregon runs $10,000 to $30,000 per side on average, and cases with custody evaluations, forensic accountants, or trials run $40,000 to $100,000. Mediation, which Oregon courts encourage and some counties require for custody, can cut that dramatically.

A misdemeanor criminal defense, other than DUII, runs $2,500 to $7,500 flat. A felony defense runs $7,500 to $25,000 and up depending on the charge and whether it goes to trial. Measure 11 cases with mandatory minimums are at the top.

A landlord-tenant dispute in Oregon runs $1,500 to $5,000 for an eviction or a deposit dispute. Oregon's tenant protection laws, including the statewide rent cap and just-cause eviction rules, have made these cases more complicated and more expensive than they were a few years ago.

Probate and Estate Administration

Probate in Oregon takes a minimum of four months and usually six to twelve, and attorney fees run $3,000 to $10,000 for a simple estate and more for one with disputes or real property in multiple counties. That cost is the main reason people set up trusts here.

What Drives the Bill Up

Conflict is the biggest driver. Two people who agree on most things can get through a divorce, a business dissolution, or an estate for a fraction of what a fight costs. Every motion, every hearing, and every discovery dispute adds hours.

Experience is the second. A partner with 25 years in Multnomah County family court bills twice what an associate does, but often gets the case done in half the time. For a complicated case, the expensive lawyer is frequently the cheaper choice.

Location is the third. A Portland firm handling a case in Klamath Falls bills travel time. A local attorney does not.

Your own organization is the fourth. Clients who arrive with documents sorted, a written timeline, and clear goals save hours of attorney time at $350 each. Clients who call the office three times a day to vent pay for every call.

Free and Low-Cost Options in Oregon

The Oregon State Bar runs a Lawyer Referral Service that connects you with an attorney for a 30-minute consultation at a low fixed fee. The Modest Means Program matches income-qualified clients with attorneys who charge reduced hourly rates for family law, criminal defense, and landlord-tenant matters.

Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center provide free civil legal help to low-income residents on housing, benefits, family safety, and consumer issues. Law school clinics at Lewis and Clark, Willamette, and the University of Oregon take some cases.

Oregon small claims court handles disputes up to $10,000 without attorneys, and the filing fee is modest.

Questions to Ask Before You Hire

Ask for a written fee agreement, which the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct require for contingency cases and which any good attorney provides for hourly work. Ask what the hourly rate is for every person who might touch the file. Ask what the retainer is and whether unused portions are refunded.

Ask for a realistic range for the whole matter, and ask what would push it to the top of that range. Ask how often you will be billed and in what detail. Ask who will handle the day-to-day work.

Check the attorney's status and discipline history on the Oregon State Bar website. It takes a minute and shows any public sanctions.

You can compare the attorneys listed for Oregon in our directory to start building a short list, and read more of our guides to hiring local professionals on the blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average hourly rate for a lawyer in Oregon?

About $250 to $450 per hour in 2026, with experienced Portland attorneys at $350 to $500 and lawyers in Eugene, Salem, Bend, and Medford generally $225 to $375. Paralegal time bills separately at $100 to $175.

How much does a divorce lawyer cost in Oregon?

An uncontested divorce runs $1,500 to $3,500 in flat fees at many firms. A contested divorce with children averages $10,000 to $30,000 per side and can exceed $50,000 with custody evaluations or a trial.

How much does a DUII lawyer cost in Oregon?

A first-offense DUII that resolves through Oregon's diversion program runs $1,500 to $5,000 flat. A case that goes to trial runs $5,000 to $15,000 or more.

Do personal injury lawyers in Oregon charge up front?

No. They work on contingency, typically 33 percent of a pre-suit settlement and 40 percent after a lawsuit is filed. Case costs are separate and the written fee agreement should say who pays them.

Is there free legal help in Oregon?

Yes. Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center provide free civil help to low-income residents, and the Oregon State Bar's Modest Means Program connects qualifying clients with reduced-rate attorneys.