The Oregon Divorce Blog

In our last post we talked about the requirements for talking the local parenting class in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington county. As a divorce lawyer in Portland, Oregon, I frequently consult with parties living outside of Oregon or the United States who have an Oregon divorce or family law case involving children. One issue that repeatedly comes up in out of state cases with kids is what to do about the local parenting class requirement. Are you going to be prejudiced if you cannot complete the local parenting class requirement? Are you going to have to pay for a trip to Oregon just to take the local parenting class?

Local courts will usually approve a substitute class if a party cannot take the local parenting class because of distance or travel schedule. One good solution we found is an on-line parenting class offered through “Positive Parenting Through Divorce.” The website offers an on-line class that, with court permission, can substitute for the local parenting class requirement. The class was developed by Dr. Paul Maione, Ph.D., LMFT. The cost is $60, and a certificate of completion is mailed or faxed out within 1 business day of completion. Our out of state clients report good experiences and fast turnaround with the program.

We already posted about coordinating parenting time post judgment. (see post here) Managing children’s schedules is difficult when everyone is together and lives under the same roof. It can be almost impossible, even in a cooperative case, if the parents are not organized. Some clients we have worked with have reported good results from using a web service called OurFamilyWizard. They provide web based tools for coordinating parenting time, kids’s schedules and activities, and parental communication.