Recent News

The state of Washington has long had a policy that no person will be allowed to profit by their own wrong, wherever that wrong is committed.  One area in which that policy has been expressed is inheritance rights.  For many years, Washington has had a “slayer statute”, RCW Chapter 11.84.  The statute provided that no… Read More

While opening probate may be beneficial or required in some instances, not every death may trigger the need to open a probate case to administer an estate. For smaller estates, a “Small Estate Affidavit” may be sufficient. If the value of the decedent’s estate is not more than $100,000, then personal property (like vehicles, furniture,… Read More

In Washington state, non-judicial foreclosures of deeds of trust are governed by statute, RCW Chapter 61.24.  The non-judicial foreclosure process involves a public trustee’s sale after giving notice to various interested parties.  The effect of the trustee’s sale is to deprive the grantor of the deed of trust and anyone claiming under them of all… Read More

The State of Washington recently enacted law to change its estate tax.  Two of the changes are of particular interest. The first change concerns the "applicable exclusion amount", which is the amount that passes free of estate tax.  For the past several years, Washington's applicable exclusion amount has been $2,000,000.  Only the amount in excess… Read More

One method of avoiding estate tax is through a Family Limited Partnership.  In fact, “Family Limited Partnership” is often a misnomer, because the entity formed is usually a Family LLC instead. Regardless, the purpose and function are the same.  The Family LLC allows Mom and Dad to (a) form an LLC owned only by the… Read More

Being appointed the Personal Representative of an Estate can seem like a daunting responsibility, especially given all the statutory or legal requirements. For clarification, a personal representative is also called an executor when they are named in a will or an administrator when they are appointed by a court.  A female executor is also referred… Read More

Have you considered what you would do if you were not able to handle your own affairs due to injury, illness, or mental condition?  There are several legal options available to you including  Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Powers of Attorney, what is sometimes called a Living Will or Directive to Physicians in addition… Read More

A power of attorney authorizes a person (the attorney-in-fact) to act on behalf of another person (the principal).  Sometimes the power of attorney authorizes the attorney-in-fact to make decisions on behalf of the principal relating to the principal’s health care as well as to the principal’s non-health care, or financial, matters.  Sometimes the power may… Read More

             The answer to that question may not be as simple as you might think.  Usually, you know if someone owes you money or some other obligation such as a personal guaranty of a third party’s debt.  But, what if the obligation is not yet due and payable when that person dies?  You might think… Read More