Recent News

Recognizing the government response to the coronavirus should not cause more injury and damage than the coronavirus itself, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering loans and grants to small business employers to help them retain their employees.  The loans are authorized under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability Act (CARES Act),… Read More

The government recently took action to relieve businesses affected by the coronavirus. Business owners affected by the crisis should learn about this legislation to determine whether the relief is available, accessible, and appropriate for their businesses. Government Assistance Washington state requested and was granted a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration.  This action… Read More

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into the law the CARES Act. The CARES Act was passed to address the economic impacts of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. The Act authorizes the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to provide Emergency EIDL Grants. An eligible entity will receive a grant of up to $10,000 by simply applying… Read More

On March 23, 2020, Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued Proclamation No. 20-25 including a “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” Order designed to combat the person-to-person spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington State.  Until the order expires or is amended, all people in Washington are ordered to “cease leaving their home or place of residence” except… Read More

The “basic exclusion amount” is the amount of a deceased person’s estate that passes free of federal estate tax.  This differs from the unlimited marital deduction that applies when one spouse dies and transfers all of his or her interest in property to the surviving spouse.  There is a basic exclusion amount for federal estate… Read More

For decades, Washington State left the its overtime rules essentially unchanged. But recent changes going into effect in July 2020 will dramatically increase the threshold for exemptions to overtime eligibility. When combined with the recent increase in Washington State’s minimum wage of $13.50/hour effective January 1, 2020, these changes will are expected to affect approximately… Read More

In 2013, I wrote an article touting the “Friendly Quiet Title” as a more efficient means of adjusting your boundary line, when compared to a city/county boundary line adjustment (“BLA”). In recent years, the time and money savings of a Friendly Quiet Title have only increased when compared to the BLA. For example, as of… Read More

One of the features of Washington’s new LLC Act is a clarification of the fiduciary duties owed by members and managers. The Act provides that the only fiduciary duties members of a member- managed LLC and a manager of a manager-managed LLC are the duties of loyalty and care. Members in a manager-managed LLC do… Read More

Do you remember that old real estate contract your parents entered into in the 1970s to buy the family home?  Or perhaps that loan they took out against the home in the 1980s that they paid off after a few years?  It is possible that your parents decided that these long completed real estate transactions… Read More