Recent News

For various reasons, testators frequently distribute portions of their estate to their kids, heirs, and loved ones before they die.  Reasons can vary from reducing or avoiding taxes to simply recognizing an heir’s greater need for financial help in the moment.  Questions often arise later concerning how the distribution should be characterized, such as: Were… Read More

One of the requirements for making a valid will is that the testator have the legal capacity to do so.  Sometimes heirs or would-be-heirs under a will contend that the provisions thereof could not have been the testator’s true intentions, that the testator must not have been of sound mind, and that the will must… Read More

What is the Washington CPA? The Washington Legislature in 1961 enacted the Consumer Protection Act (“CPA”), (RCW 19.86), to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive trade and business practices. Historically, consumers were responsible under the old legal maxim of “caveat emptor,” or “buyer beware,” which required a high level of diligence and investigation on the… Read More

In July of 2017, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law legislation guaranteeing paid family leave to employees across Washington State. The groundbreaking move places Washington in a small group of states who have passed such legislation. While prior law generally mandated only unpaid leave and left many employees ineligible due to the size of their… Read More