Recent News

Mental Health Advance Directives in Washington

The Lawyers at Beresford Booth | 5/29/2024
Many people have heard of a health care directive, sometimes referred to as a living will.  It expresses an individual’s wishes for certain treatments if the person is in a terminal or permanent unconscious condition.  A different Washington law provides for the use of a mental health advance directive, which allows an individual to express… Read More

Does a Trust or Estate Owe Washington Capital Gains Tax

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Law Lawyer Sherry Bosse Lueders | 5/29/2024
In 2023, the Washington Department of Revenue began collecting a state capital gains tax, which is  separate from the federal capital gains tax, on capital gains occurring after January 1, 2022. The state did not collect the tax until after the Washington Supreme Court upheld the tax’s constitutionality in a March 2023 decision. It was… Read More

What is a Probate and Should I Be Afraid of It?

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Joshua G. R. Curtis | 3/20/2024
The purpose of this article is to summarize the process of probate and to introduce ideas that we will explain in greater detail in later posts.  In its simplest terms, probate is a process where a court gives a person the authority to act on behalf of an estate to administer the estate.  Administration of… Read More

Recent Washington Legislative Update concerning Estate Planning and Probate – Part 2

The Lawyers at Beresford Booth | 3/6/2024
Since the Uniform Electronic Wills Act took effect on January 1, 2022, allowing a Will to be executed in electronic form, the Washington State Legislature is further pondering during this year’s legislative session on the possibility of having other estate planning documents to be executed in electronic form.  The Senate Bill 5787 (2023-24) (now, the… Read More