News & Insights from Lasher

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 […]

The Washington Law Against Discrimination makes it unlawful for an employer to “discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate” against a job applicant or employee on the basis of that person’s protected characteristic such as race, age, or sex. Likewise, the WLAD also makes it unlawful for an employer to do the same because he or she […]

In a divorce, there are generally three types of payments that can be made between the divorcing parties. The first is considered an equalizing property transfer payment. For example, if, after the allocation of all real property, bank accounts, retirement accounts, and investment accounts, there is a disparate value between the parties, one party usually […]

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Trump on December 22, 2017, is the most significant U.S. tax reform to be enacted in over thirty years. One of its many components is the near doubling of the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer-tax exemption amount applicable to individuals. The Act raised […]

In today’s online world, more people are turning to the internet as a way to save money and find a do-it-yourself solution. You can watch YouTube videos explaining how to repair items around your house, do your own taxes through programs like TurboTax, and now there are online programs to walk you through the divorce […]

Heirs battling over seemingly “small” personal property items after a loved one has died is a heartbreaking yet familiar scenario in the probate world. While such disputes might seem petty to outsiders, the issue of who gets mom’s favorite purse, dad’s music collection, or even grandmother’s little blue ceramic bowl is often a deeply personal process that can […]

Seattle elementary school teacher, Mary Kay Letourneau, infamous for her relationship with her 12-year-old sixth grade student back in 1996, recently made national headlines again. After serving multiple jail terms, Letourneau and her student, Vili Fualaau ultimately married in 2005. TMZ recently reported that Letourneau and Fualaau are legally separating. This begs the question, what […]

If you’re currently weathering the stress of a divorce, the last thing you may be thinking about is updating your estate planning documents. Your divorce can have a major impact on your estate plan, however, with implications for you, your children, and those who depend on you. You should consider making the following updates to […]