(1) A family law facilitation program may be established by the judges of the family court department of a circuit court. If there is no family court department for the court, a family law facilitation program may be established for a circuit court by the presiding judge for the judicial district. A family law facilitation program shall be designed to assist litigants in domestic relations or other family court proceedings described in ORS 3.408. The program shall be developed in consultation with the local family law advisory committee established for the judicial district under ORS 3.434. The program shall operate under the supervision of the family court department or, if there is no family court department, under the supervision of the presiding judge for the judicial district. Services under the program shall be provided by court personnel in facilities under the supervision and control of the family court department or, if there is no family court department, under the supervision and control of the presiding judge for the judicial district. The program may provide:
(a) Educational materials.
(b) Court forms.
(c) Assistance in completing forms.
(d) Information about court procedures.
(e) Referrals to agencies and resources that provide legal and other services to parents or children.
(2) All materials, forms, instructions and referral lists provided through the program must be approved by the family court department or, if there is no family court department, by the presiding judge for the judicial district.
(3) Except for those fees authorized for forms under ORS 21.361, services provided through the program shall be provided without charge.
(4) An employee or other person providing services to litigants through a family law facilitation program as provided in this section is not engaged in the practice of law for the purposes of ORS 9.160.
(5) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, an employee or other person who assisted litigants through a family law facilitation program may not, for a period of one year after leaving the program, charge or collect any fee from a litigant for services relating to a matter that was the subject of assistance under the program.
(6) The prohibition of subsection (5) of this section does not apply to persons admitted to the practice of law in this state. [1999 c.1095 §1]
(Family Court Advocate Programs)
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