Recent News

What is Earnest Money? In the purchase of real estate, it is common for a buyer to put down a deposit called earnest money. This deposit is made to a seller to represent the buyer’s good faith towards buying the real property at issue.  Earnest money is typically held in an escrow account until closing,… Read More

The economic and population growth throughout Washington State keeps builders, contractors, subcontractors and others involved in the construction industry very busy.  With that high demand, however, comes the added risk of mistakes and defects that may potentially lead to disputes and litigation.  Whether you are in the market for builders or in the industry itself,… Read More

The Washington Court of Appeals recently issued a published decision in Sherman v. Pfizer et al., No. 50914-8-II, 2019 WL 1923583, -- P.3d -- (Wn. App. April 30, 2019), providing valuable guidance for attorneys litigating duty to warn cases under the Washington Product Liability Act (“WPLA”), RCW 7.72.  In Sherman, the plaintiff allegedly developed a… Read More

In Washington, disputes in construction projects often involve complex issues between numerous parties.  Parties to a construction project may include prime contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and laborers, all of whom work with the expectation of compensation for their services.  When these parties are not paid for their work they may file and attempt to enforce liens… Read More

What is the Washington CPA? The Washington Legislature in 1961 enacted the Consumer Protection Act (“CPA”), (RCW 19.86), to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive trade and business practices. Historically, consumers were responsible under the old legal maxim of “caveat emptor,” or “buyer beware,” which required a high level of diligence and investigation on the… Read More

When parties form a contract, they usually write the contract with terms conforming to their intentions and expectations. Unfortunately, sometimes one or both parties err in accurately expressing these intentions and expectations within the terms of a contract.  To make matters worse, one party often reaps the benefit of that mistake and will defend the… Read More

It may be your very own neighbor.  While many of us want to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors, you cannot always choose your neighbors, and they may have other goals in mind.  Conflicts between neighbors can arise in a variety of contexts, from tree cutting disputes to boundary disputes.  However, one of the most unsettling… Read More

The lawyers can see it coming. By their nature, certain lawsuits are primed from the outset to cost the parties excessive money and time, regardless of the amount in controversy. A certain a piece of litigation might involve a technical or complex area of the law. It might require ongoing and frequent oversight of the… Read More

A power of attorney gives powers to another party (commonly known as an agent or attorney in fact) to act on his or her behalf. A power of attorney essentially allows the agent to step into the shoes of the principal, and perform all acts a principal could perform in his or her own right.… Read More