Recent News

Preserving Cumulative Impact Claims on Construction Projects

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Trevor H. Lane | 2/3/2025
Commercial and public works construction projects are notorious for delays and change orders.  These projects often occur over several months and years—especially for general contractors and vital subcontractors (e.g., steel erectors).  What may start as a few, reasonable changes and delays near the beginning of a project can often snowball and have ‘ripple effect’ near… Read More

What is a Reservation of Rights Letter

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Aaron M. Dunn | 2/3/2025
An Overview and What the Insured Can Do in Response Many Washingtonians have at least one insurance policy that provides liability insurance, whether it be auto insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, commercial general liability insurance, and/or other types of insurance. In response to a claim or lawsuit against its insured, an insurance company may issue… Read More

Legal Advice and ChatGPT: A Closer Look

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Zachary M. Smith | 1/20/2025
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is quickly becoming a part of our daily lives, but how helpful can it be in the context of a litigated dispute between neighbors concerning property rights? In 2023, ChatGPT gained widespread notoriety for its ability to assist with various tasks, for example review of massive amounts of data. This led some… Read More

Don’t Sleep on Your Rights – Not All Negligence Claims Are Governed by the Same Statute of Limitations

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Aaron M. Dunn | 1/8/2025
Many are familiar with the general concept that a claimant must commence a lawsuit within a specific amount of time to maintain a viable cause of action.  This concept is often referred to as a “limitations period” or a “statute of limitations.”    Some may have heard or read that tort claims in Washington are… Read More

Protecting Residential Contractor Legal Rights BEFORE the Project Begins

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Trevor H. Lane | 12/26/2024
Too often, residential contractors (general, subs and trades) call my office inquiring about their legal rights after a problem has occurred.  More likely than not, the contractor calling has already performed most of the work or finished the project entirely.  Regardless of whether the issue is failure to pay, alleged defects, delay or change orders,… Read More

How a Mechanics Lien Can Protect Your Business: Insights from a Recent Washington Case

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Zachary M. Smith | 12/3/2024
If you are in the construction or development business in Washington, it’s crucial to understand your legal rights and protections. One such protection is the mechanics lien, a powerful tool when clients fail to meet their financial obligations. For instance, suppose you own a limited liability company that builds and develops homes for property owners.… Read More

A QUICK Guide to Washington State BID Protests

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Trevor H. Lane | 11/19/2024
In Washington state, an aggrieved party may challenge a contract award under the competitive bidding process. An aggrieved party is any bidder that has a substantial chance of receiving the award, an economic interest, and standing to challenge the award. Often, if the second lowest bidder is aware of a material irregularity or informality in… Read More

UCC Fundamentals – Part 4: Merchant’s Firm Offer Rule

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Todd J. Cook and Licensed Legal Intern Andrew J. Tingstad | 10/30/2024
Offer and Acceptance – Special Rules – RCW 62A.2-205 & 2-206. In our previous post, we discussed the UCC’s general rules of contract formation for the sale of goods. In this post, we delve into Article 2’s special rules for contract formation relating to “merchant firm offers.” Generally, offers to form contracts which set a… Read More