Recent News

**This law uses the term “Indian Child” to refer to child members of federally recognized indigenous Native American political and cultural units. These units can be called tribes, bands, nations or any variety of nomenclature. For clarity, this blog posts uses the terms found in the law and in the mandatory forms when necessary to… Read More

It is not uncommon for a party trying to resolve a dispute regarding a family law matter to come to mediation unprepared, unfortunately even when represented by counsel. This jeopardizes the likelihood that mediation will be successful. [Mediation, also known as a settlement conference or alternative dispute resolution, is the process where parties attempt to… Read More

Many employers award stocks to their employees subject to a vesting schedule.  In some cases, these awards will not fully vest for 5 or 10 years.  Microsoft is a prime example of such an employer in our region.  Your unvested Microsoft stock may very well be community property, and the community may be entitled to… Read More

When two people love each other very much…. Or at least enough…. A baby can be the result. One or both of those loved-enough adults may be married at the time, although not necessarily to each other. These circumstances sometimes result in one spouse in a marriage contesting the parentage of a child born by… Read More

Maybe. Imagine… You are just finishing up a divorce. Every property item is split, all the documents are signed, and you are just waiting for the court to bless your disunion. Your soon-to-be ex was entirely uncooperative has stopped all communication. Good riddance, you think. You find your next new home and purchase it by… Read More

Pediatric healthcare and “joint” healthcare provisions in court orders and parenting plans. You are a pediatric healthcare provider. That means you have been - or will be -  dragged into disputes between parents when they cannot agree on the best medical strategy for their children. It is important to keep a clear delineation between your… Read More

Asset valuation is an important part of divorce litigation whether amid a pandemic or not.  However, especially now, it is important to understand that the economy is changing and that it will affect the value of assets and debts in your divorce in determining a fair and equitable award. In addition to determining what assets… Read More

It is generally known that assets such as real property and financial accounts are subject to division in a divorce. But what about accumulated vacation and sick leave? Employees depending on their benefits can accumulate hundreds, even thousands of hours of leave, and this vacation and sick time can be overlooked in a divorce. Unused… Read More

– what happens when your long-term partner dies, but you were never officially married. You built a life together. Lived in and improved the same home, shared your money, worked together to pay bills and invest, and maybe raised some kids. Then, tragically, your partner dies… without a will (called dying “intestate”). In Washington, only… Read More