Insight, Analysis, and Perspective for Businesses and Individuals

Don’t Panic Divorce often feels frightening and overwhelming, especially at the beginning if it came as a surprise. Even if you do not oppose the divorce and were expecting the paperwork, reading a divorce petition for the first time can invoke strong feelings and emotions. Take a deep breath. This is the time to take […]

The start of a new year is a great time to review your current estate plan or consider creating one.  2024 brings a number of opportunities for creating an estate plan, pursuing gifting strategies, and considering philanthropic goals.  Here are a few estate planning opportunities for your consideration this year: Increased Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping […]

Why Appeal at All? People appeal their case because they want a better outcome then what they received at trial.  Maybe that means that the appealing party lost a jury verdict, or felt that they didn’t “win” enough at trial.  Perhaps someone in a divorce trial receives 55% of the assets but no spousal support […]

Family courts regularly hear a number of cases involving parties who decide to represent themselves rather than hire an attorney. These parties are known as “pro se” litigants (meaning “for oneself” in Latin). If you are deciding whether to represent yourself or hire an attorney in your family law case, here are some considerations: Pro […]

When faced with a residential construction defect problem—such as water intrusion, poor workmanship, or material/design deficiencies—Washington homeowners are often left wondering whether they have a claim, who is at fault for the construction issues, and what to do if they believe a claim exists.  These are complicated questions that can get even more complicated if […]

***UPDATE: Per the U.S. Treasury Department announcement, FinCEN is now dead except for some limited foreign entity reporting. See post at FINCEN Filings Terminated for additional information.*** A few years ago, Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 5336 (“CTA”), which established certain required information filings with the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network […]

Divorce is a difficult and emotional process that can be overwhelming for many of us. For celebrities, their divorces are often played out in the public eye, making it even more challenging. As a divorce attorney, I have considered some of the many high-profile divorces from 2023 and the lessons that can be learned from […]

Paid sick and other leave benefits are changing in 2024. Construction workers, other than workers solely working in residential building construction, who do not reach the minimum 90 days of employment with a particular employer to be eligible to use paid sick leave will now be paid their accrued, but unused sick leave benefits following […]

The holiday season can exacerbate certain challenges for those going through a divorce. However, if you are mindful of these challenges, you can prepare for them so that you can still find time to get much needed rest. Here are some tips for surviving the holidays this year: Plan ahead for holiday spending If you […]

One of the most common questions we hear from our clients is “do I need a revocable living trust?”  While in some states a revocable living trust is a vital component of any estate plan due to those state’s probate laws, Washington has very friendly probate laws and a revocable living trust is generally not […]

Most people are aware of the statistic that roughly 50% of marriages end in divorce; but did you know that only 5 – 10% of couples opt for a prenuptial agreement prior to marriage? So, what does a prenuptial agreement entail? Broadly, prenups are agreements between two individuals who plan to marry one another, the […]

On January 1, 2024, the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act (UFLAA) goes into effect in Washington State. The UFLAA is a new law that will allow many family law issues to be resolved in an out-of-court arbitration process instead of going to court. The law was passed to provide families with greater efficiency and flexibility […]