Who We Are
Sara Angeletti,
Attorney at Law "A native of Connecticut, my family moved to South Carolina when I was still a child. I spent my formative years living on the Isle of Palms and attending school in Charleston. After studying English at the University of South Carolina I earned my Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland in 1990. Following law school, I clerked for both the juvenile and adult criminal departments of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. In 1994, I joined the Office of the City Solicitor for Baltimore City and was assigned to the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) where I worked directly with the director and HABC's chief of police. At the time, HABC was the fifth largest housing authority in the nation and was tackling urban revitalization amid rampant drug abuse and gang violence. In 1997, I transferred from HABC to the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). Representing a department with over 3,000 sworn officers in a city with one of the highest murder rates in the country presented numerous challenges while offering invaluable experience. While representing the BPD, I defended complex civil rights cases in state and federal court, prosecuted narcotics and gambling asset forfeiture cases, prosecuted officers in administrative disciplinary proceedings, and provided advice and counsel to senior command. In pursuit of an intimate and safe environment in which to raise my children, I moved my family from Maryland to Oregon in 2000. Looking to make a difference, I received my training and initial experience in family law at the Center for Non-Profit Legal Services in Medford. As a sole practitioner for nearly two decades now, I have built a solid reputation as a family law attorney throughout Oregon, providing advice, representation and advocacy to diverse clients and their families – aggressively advocating for my clients while ever seeking equitable and compassionate solutions to family conflict." |
John Lalla,
Mediator "Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, I studied English and Classics at Santa Barbara City College, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Boston University’s Institute for the Classical Tradition. I spent nearly two decades in education, mentoring special needs students, tutoring and teaching English at the advanced preparatory and undergraduate college levels, all while managing and contributing to numerous academic publishing projects for Routledge, Fitzroy Dearborn, ABC/Clio, M.E. Sharp, and others. Seeking an affordable and compassionate environment in which to care for my aging relatives, I sold my Santa Barbara home and relocated my extended family to Oregon in 2006 – a choice that has proven personally enriching and professionally expansive. Today, I take great pleasure in my second career as a conflict resolution mediator with emphases in domestic relations and elder and special needs care. While my teaching experience informs my informational approach to client empowerment, my mentoring experience guides my ability to facilitate communication and problem solving. As families navigate conflict, renegotiating and redefining rolls and responsibilities, my transformative approach to mediation helps clients turn adversity into opportunity." 
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. . . And, yes, we're married.
"Having both been previously married and divorced with children, we are intimately familiar with the pain and fear that marital dissolution can present, as well as the freedom and opportunity that starting over with careful planning can provide.
We know what it's like to navigate the legal system while having to process the emotions of failed expectations and personal and financial uncertainty. We are intimately familiar with the frustrations surrounding parenting, co-parenting, and strained communication during divorce. We know because we have been there.
Accordingly, our office's overarching goal is to assist and champion our clients as they build a firm foundation upon which to reestablish their lives for themselves and for their loved ones - a goal we pursue by listening, educating, and guiding our clients with firm compassion."
"Having both been previously married and divorced with children, we are intimately familiar with the pain and fear that marital dissolution can present, as well as the freedom and opportunity that starting over with careful planning can provide.
We know what it's like to navigate the legal system while having to process the emotions of failed expectations and personal and financial uncertainty. We are intimately familiar with the frustrations surrounding parenting, co-parenting, and strained communication during divorce. We know because we have been there.
Accordingly, our office's overarching goal is to assist and champion our clients as they build a firm foundation upon which to reestablish their lives for themselves and for their loved ones - a goal we pursue by listening, educating, and guiding our clients with firm compassion."