Legal Help Center
Whether you're trying to understand the process, get answers to common questions, or think through a settlement decision, you'll find the tools here.
Everything here is free to use, whether or not you ever work with us. Start wherever your question is: run the numbers, walk through the process, or browse what we’ve written along the way.
Settlement Calculators
Two calculators to help you think through the decisions most clients face: what representation actually costs compared to handling a claim on your own, and how a settlement offer stacks up against what you might recover at trial.
These are estimates, not guarantees — but they give you something concrete to work with.
Understand the cost of hiring a personal injury attorney and how that cost can affect the settlement amounts due to you.
Compare your current settlement offer with the amount you would need to obtain at trial to beat the current insurance company's settlement offer.
The Legal Process
Most people haven't been through a personal injury case. That’s a good thing. It also means that figuring out how to navigate the case and protect your rights can add to your stress and confusion if you don’t know where to turn for help.
That’s why we believe in walking you through every stage, from your very first conversation with us all the way to resolution. The more you understand what's ahead, the more confident you'll feel at every step and allow you to focus on your healing. Here's what the process looks like — and what we're taking care of on your behalf.
Oregon Personal Injury FAQs
If you've been injured and you're not sure where to start, this is a good place. We've gathered the questions clients bring to us most often and answered them plainly.
Featured Articles
This collection reflects three things we care deeply about: helping injured Oregonians understand their options, contributing honestly to the legal profession, and showing up for our community beyond the courtroom. You'll find practical guides for navigating an injury claim, David Rosen's columns and president's messages from his time leading the Oregon State Bar, and press coverage of the work High Desert Law and its partners have taken on across the state.
Legal Resources
David Rosen was a founder of the Deschutes County Lawyer in the Library program, the first of its kind in the state. Through his work on the Oregon State Bar and before that, the Oregon Law Foundation, Dave was part of a long process that contributed to the creation of the Oregon Legal Help Portal.
At High Desert Law we don’t just believe in access to justice for all, we work toward it. It’s in our bones. If we cannot help you or you have a legal issue outside of personal injury, these are some initial resources that you might find helpful.
Not sure where to start? The Oregon State Bar's Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with an attorney who fits your situation — with an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for a maximum fee of $50. It's a low-pressure way to get your bearings. They also offer a Free Legal Answers Program for those who qualify — a chance to get a written legal question answered at no charge by a volunteer attorney, with the option for a follow-up question based on their response.
Oregon Law Help guides users through a series of questions to pinpoint their legal issues and direct them to either the information they need or to the best option for finding a lawyer or legal professional. The site launched in English and Spanish (with plans for additional languages) with content on family law, personal safety, housing law and Oregon courts.
The Lawyer in the Library program, launched by Deschutes County Access to Justice Committee, provides free 30-minute consultations with a local attorney. The volunteer attorney is able to answer questions on civil matters, such as family law, small claims, contracts, landlord-tenant issues and wills. No criminal issues will be covered.
“The program is not a substitute for legal representation,” explained David Rosen, Personal Injury Attorney at High Desert Law and Access to Justice Committee chair. “It is intended to assist people in 1) answering their questions 2) helping them determine if they have a legal issue and 3) if so, to provide some general direction regarding their next steps and/or a referral to additional resources.”
In the past, short of going to the downtown courthouse in Bend; Deschutes County residents had no access to their court documents. Now, thanks to a pilot program headed by Deschutes County Access to Justice, all it takes is a library card to have free public access to view and print legal papers and track case developments out of the Redmond County library branch.
