News & Insights from Lasher

Several weekends ago, I celebrated a belated Mother’s Day and birthday with my extended family.  One of the pictures taken reflects four generations of our family: my mother on one side and my father on the other.  That may not seem noteworthy, but they have been divorced for 41 years.  If you were to look […]

(This blog is the second installment in a multi-part series regarding privacy in the workplace.) Employers have a general right to protect their property and employees. In addition to surveillance and monitoring, some employers choose to conduct searches of areas and equipment used by employees. This can include searches of offices, lockers, desks, phones, computers, […]

If you are in the holiday spirit this season, you may wish to make gifts using the 2020 annual federal gift tax exclusion amount.  To qualify for this exclusion for the year 2020, the gifts must be made no later than December 31, 2020 if being made directly to an individual or December 1, 2020 if being made to […]

(This blog is the first installment in a multi-part series regarding privacy in the workplace.) Employers often seek to monitor or surveil their employees in the workplace. Though workplace monitoring, searches, and surveillance can be a valuable tool for any employer, doing so is not without risk. Employers should make sure their workplace search, monitoring, […]

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced sweeping changes, effective July 1, 2020, to the rules determining whether an employee in Washington State is entitled to receive overtime compensation. In Washington State, the default rule is that all employees are entitled to overtime compensation. There are exceptions, however, when the employee meets three important […]

The Family Law Practice Group of LHS&E is virtual!  Thanks to remote access, electronic files, secure document sharing, and meetings via Zoom as well as conference calls we are able to near seamlessly continue to serve our clients.   We are closely monitoring State, County, and Court issued Emergency Orders directly and via information exchanges on […]

While many people consider updating their estate planning documents following a divorce, it is best to update these documents when planning for a divorce or separation process, or risk potentially disastrous results. Washington law automatically overrides some, but not all, existing estate planning documents upon the filing of a marriage dissolution or legal separation action. Powers of […]

Upon finishing the estate planning process, clients often ask the understandable question, “how often should I update my estate planning documents?” Best practice is to review and/or update your estate planning documents either (1) every three-five years, or (2) after major life changes occur. Major life changes can include the birth of new children or […]

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship for the employer. Such accommodations could include making existing facilities more accessible, restructuring a position, offering a modified work schedule, or even reassigning the employee to a vacant position. […]

Our civil rules encourage settlement. Settlement prevents the “winner take all” scenario and encourages the efficient use of court resources–trials are time-consuming and expensive. Although avoiding the courtroom altogether may sound appealing (pardon the pun), remember that you do not need a jury verdict to appeal your case. Here are some things to consider in […]

Notifying potential creditors, presenting claims, and rejecting or allowing creditors’ claims in an estate subject to probate may seem like second nature to some attorneys, but a surprising number of claims are litigated as a result of either a personal representative’s failure to properly notify creditors or a creditor’s failure to properly present a claim […]

Although Washington employers are generally not required to provide severance pay to a terminated employee (except if promised in an employee handbook or employment contract), many employers still offer severance as a gesture of good will. There are any several factors, however, that should be considered when deciding whether to sign a severance agreement. An […]