Recent News

Many high school seniors are looking ahead to college, university, or technical school later this year. Faced with rising tuition costs, most of their parents wonder how they will help pay tuition in the Fall. If you have an Order of Child Support, post-secondary support can be ordered to contribute to the cost of tuition,… Read More

High School graduation is on the horizon. Your child may have plans to attend college or vocational school in the fall. How (or who) is going to pay the expense? Courts in Washington state have the authority and discretion to determine whether the parents must pay. If you have an Order of Child Support, the… Read More

The short answer:  Maybe. The criteria for calculation of the parents’ basic support obligation arises under RCW 26.19.071(1), which states "[o]nly the income of the parents of the children whose support is at issue shall be calculated." After determination of the standard calculation, the Court is authorized to deviate from this calculation under certain circumstances.  There is no… Read More

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to adopt a new ordinance that grants criminal offenders special rights in job application processes.  Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) 14.17 regulates the use of criminal background information in employment decisions.  Absent a “legitimate business reason”, employers are prohibited from using criminal convictions as the basis for denying employment for… Read More

MILITARY DIVORCE: PENSION ISSUES Service members who retire following 20 or more years of creditable service are compensated with a retirement for the rest of their lives. A military pension is community property.   In a divorce setting, both the service member and their spouse need to understand how and when the military retirement is subject… Read More

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) recently published its Final Rule amending portions of the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (“FMLA”) pertaining to the 26-workweek military caregiver leave provisions.  The amendments also modify and clarify the hours of service requirements for airline crew personnel. These amendments were previously stated in the… Read More

When you consider the composition of your workforce, it is likely the vast majority of your employees have or will have caregiving responsibilities.  In today’s society, caregivers are not defined by gender.  Both male and female workers may be responsible for the care of a child, sick spouse, or elderly parent.  Yet, caregiver discrimination is… Read More

Criminal background information is another valuable tool utilized by companies making employment related decisions, such as hiring and termination.  Should your company consider this information when making critical employment decisions?  Absolutely, but do so informed about the risks and with a policies in place to ensure your company does not inadvertently subject itself to liability… Read More

With the rise of social networking as a form of expression and communication, employers have found these websites to be useful tools when determining an applicant’s suitability.  Recent news reports demonstrate how prevalent the practice has become and how far employers will go to review social networking sites.  For example, if unable to view an… Read More