Estate Planning, Trusts & Probate

In estate planning, experience is everything. Our attorneys have been recognized as “Top Lawyers” by Seattle Magazine, “Best Lawyer” by The Best Lawyers in America, and as a “Five Star Professional in Estate Planning” by Seattle Magazine. Whether you need guidance in advanced estate and tax planning, succession planning for companies, probate, or post-mortem tax planning and trust administration, our team is ready to listen and ready to help.

Creating an estate plan or serving as a trustee or as a personal representative in a probate can be overwhelming. The estate planning, trusts and probate practice group at Lasher offers broad experience as well as personalized services to help you make sound decisions. We also work with lawyers from our firm’s other practice areas to address complicated or challenging matters:

  • Advanced Estate and Tax Planning. Washington is currently the only state in the nation to have an estate tax, and no income tax. Further, Washington has a state tax exemption that is a different amount from the federal tax exemption and currently has no gift tax. Our estate planning attorneys understand this complex tax framework and routinely design sophisticated estate plans to help our clients reduce federal estate and gift taxes as well as Washington estate taxes.
  • Succession Planning for Companies. When it comes to succession planning, preparation is key. Once a business becomes successful and the founders reach retirement, the company must traverse a difficult path to successfully pass on the control and ownership of the business. From outlines and checklists to complete succession plans, we help our clients transition their prosperous businesses to their families, and sometimes to their employees.
  • Probate, Post-mortem Tax Planning and Trust Administration. When a death occurs in a family, we provide compassionate and efficient service at a difficult time. We help executors manage and protect the assets of an estate, determine the validity of creditor’s claims, resolve disputes among beneficiaries, and conduct valuable after-death tax planning. We also represent trustees of revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts, providing counsel and direction regarding trustee duties, trust taxation, and trust distribution matters.

We now offer docverify, Approved Electronic Notary Services.

Team Highlights

  • Multiple team members have advanced degrees in tax, business administration or CPA certification
  • Includes attorneys listed as “Top Lawyers” by Seattle Magazine
  • Includes members of Seattle Met magazine’s Top 50 Women Lawyers in Washington
  • Consistently recognized by the legal community as Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
  • Includes members named as “Best Lawyer” by The Best Lawyers in America and a “Five Star Professional in Estate Planning” by Seattle Magazine
  • Includes attorneys consistently awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating, AV Preeminent