Recent News

On April 24, Governor Inslee released his Phase 1 Construction Restart plan signaling the beginning of a possible easing of Covid-19 related restrictions put in place under Gubernatorial Proclamation 20-25. As contractors return to work, it is the perfect time to reassess compliance with the Contractor Registration Act. A major component of the Act, is… Read More

On April 30, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-32 (the “Notice”), which answered a question asked by many business owners since receiving their Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) loans: are deductible expenses paid for with the PPP loan still deductible once the PPP loan is forgiven?  According to the IRS, the answer is “no”. The Notice… Read More

Lisa H. Do presents on The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Parenting Plans. William (Bill) O. Kessler covers Construction Gradually Reopening in Washington State. Read More

Membership in Washington LLCs comes with many rights, privileges, and obligations, and members cannot easily dispose of them.  This second post in a series of three highlights Washington’s Limited Liability Company Act, RCW 25.15 (the “Act”) default provisions on member dissociation and withdrawal as ways in which LLC members dispose of their various rights, privileges,… Read More

A recurrent theme in smaller, privately held companies, is the minority owners’ ability to liquidate their ownership interests and quit the company.  Under existing agreements, minority owners may only recover that value on the occurrence of significant company events such as a proposed merger, or a sale of key company assets.  Also, company agreements typically… Read More

In March of this year, Amazon created a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund for small businesses located within a few blocks of their Regrade, South Lake Union, and Bellevue office buildings.  Amazon has already awarded funds to local businesses such as Lady Yum in Seattle’s Regrade neighborhood, and Cactus in South Lake Union.  It… Read More

Washingtonians have been living under Governor Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home-Stay Healthy” Order since March 23, 2020.  The extended Stay Home restrictions are currently set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on May 4, 2020.  Over the past week, the Governor has relaxed the “Stay Home” restrictions in two “Stay Home-Stay Healthy” amendments focused on the construction… Read More

Businesses receiving loans from the Small Business Association’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) need to be aware of the loan forgiveness available.  At this early stage, much remains to be learned about the application of the forgiveness portion of the PPP.  In general, businesses who receive PPP loans can utilize the loan money in specific… Read More

For more than a month now, Washington State’s construction industry has felt the pain of restrictions and prohibitions which shut down vast swaths of industry activity following Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-25, known as the “Stay Home- Stay Healthy” order.  On April 24, 2020, the Governor made a monumental announcement that, following weeks of negotiations,… Read More