Recent News

Here’s a hard truth: the State of Washington doesn’t want your stuff when you die. Really, it doesn’t. The law goes out of its way to try to keep your estate in the family. So, what happens if you don’t have a will? Without a will, Washington’s intestacy laws run the show. And the law… Read More

Washington doesn’t have common-law marriage. You could live with someone for 30 years, share a home, raise kids, and introduce each other as husband or wife—but when it comes to inheritance, Washington law doesn’t see you as “married.” Instead, Washington recognizes something called a Committed Intimate Relationship (CIR). A CIR isn’t automatic, and it’s not… Read More

In this webinar, Attorney Rachel J. Wright discusses "Everyone Needs a Will" Read More

They say a parent never has a favorite child—but let’s be honest… you probably do. You know the one: responsible, calm under pressure, didn’t “accidentally” set the garage on fire at age twelve. So why not just pick the kid who always ends up leading the group project anyway? Yet many parents can’t bring themselves… Read More

What happens if someone is married, but separated when they die? As a general rule, all assets acquired before a marriage are separate property and all assets acquired during a marriage are community property.  This includes wages a person earns.  There is an exception to the rule for unmarried people living in a “committed intimate… Read More

“Everybody wants to be a cat…” or so the song goes. But if you’ve got a Duchess or a Thomas O'Malley of your own lounging around your living room, it’s time to ask:What happens to them if something happens to you? We get it. You refer to them as your child at the dog park.… Read More

On July 1, 2025, three big changes to Washington’s estate tax law will go into effect. In its 2025 session, the Washington legislature passed a bill that provided for increases to the individual exclusion amount, addressed an issue that caused the exclusion amount to be frozen at $2.193 million for several years, and substantially increased… Read More

May 22nd, 2025 Beresford Booth attorney Joshua G. R. Curtis discusses Testamentary Trusts vs Revocable Living Trusts. Read More

Washington estate tax doesn’t get much attention. In part, this is because there have not been any changes to our state’s estate tax since 2018, when the last adjustment for inflation to the applicable estate tax exclusion amount occurred. The applicable exclusion amount is the value of an estate that is exempt from estate tax.… Read More