Insight, Analysis, and Perspective for Businesses and Individuals

We have all read the headlines that divorce rates are increasing worldwide and those rates are not expected to be dropping soon.  The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many of us to our limits.  People are stressed out and locked down, which has put pressure on relationships that may have already been holding on by a […]

The real estate market in Seattle is notoriously expensive and competitive and everyone seems to be looking for more space as we enter the second year of a pandemic.  There is also a rise in nontraditional partners buying houses together.  If you are considering buying a house with a partner to whom you are not […]

From time to time a person may want to change their name—maybe their first name, or maybe their full legal name.  Maybe it is for a serious and legitimate reason (perhaps they have married), or maybe it is for a more whimsical reason (Instagram stardom?).  If you go by what you see on TV, you […]

With Democrats gaining control of the White House, the House of Representatives, and, albeit somewhat tenuously, the Senate, there is a growing possibility of legislative changes to the federal estate tax laws to fulfill Democratic policy objectives and combat the significant budget deficits caused in part by the Covid-19 pandemic.  In the unlikely event some […]

“You just remember what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like that: ‘Have you paid your dues, Jack? Yes sir, the check is in the mail.’” -Big Trouble in Little China, 1986. You are a homeowner who hires a contractor to come regularly to your property for routine maintenance. At first, everything seems […]

In March 2020, the Washington State Legislature passed legislation against “abusive litigation.”  Abusive litigation is regularly perpetrated by domestic violence abusers and has been referred to as “legal bullying.”  . In addressing this problem, the Legislature recognized that family law cases including dissolutions, legal separations, parenting plan actions, and protection order proceedings are commonplace for […]

With everyone spending much more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic you might be reevaluating your relationship with your neighbors.  What once seemed like a mere annoyance could now be interfering with your enjoyment and use of your property.  What are your rights in some of the more common neighbor disputes and what […]

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, […]

Your next-door neighbor has a bone to pick with you. Maybe he thinks you have encroached onto his property. Maybe he is mad about a fence you put up on the property line. Maybe he just isn’t in a good mood. Whatever the reason, he has decided that instead of dealing with his problems in […]

Tearing up a prenuptial agreement has made national news in music mogul Dr. Dre’s divorce in California, but how would Washington State courts treat the issue?  In Los Angeles, Dr. Dre’s wife, Nicole Young, says that Dr. Dre tore up multiple copies of their prenuptial agreement and they both verbally agreed it was no longer […]

It is undeniable that COVID-19 has affected all of our lives in more ways than we might ever have imagined. It is unsurprising that COVID-19 is affecting the way the Courts operate. In Washington State the Courts are adapting and setting up new guideline that allows pending litigation to continue and new matters to be […]