Recent News

In Washington State, residential communities made up of single-family homes, townhouses, or apartment units frequently arrange themselves into associations to address the common interests and liabilities of the property owners.  These community associations often take the form of condominium associations (“CAs”) or homeowners associations (“HOAs”).  While the two are often named interchangeably, the differences between… Read More

What is Adverse Possession? Adverse possession is a legal doctrine under which a person can establish real estate ownership through consistent use (i.e. possession) of someone else’s property.  To establish a claim of adverse possession, the claimant must prove that the claimant’s possession is: (1) exclusive, meaning no other person has possessed the property for… Read More

Beresford Booth is privileged to welcome Todd J. Cook to the Beresford Booth family of lawyers.  Todd is joining the litigation group after extensive experience in Pennsylvania in commercial litigation. Todd grew up in the Pacific Northwest, attending Edmonds-Woodway High School and Western Washington University for his undergrad.  After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Bellingham,… Read More

Effective January 1, 2020, this new law will prohibit all noncompetition agreements for employees whose W-2 earnings are less than $100,000 annually, and for independent contractors paid less than $250,000 per year. The legislation states that those amounts will be adjusted annually for inflation, just one aspect of this law which could pose a headache for… Read More

If you are in a divorce process, you have to think outside the box when you consider division of your estate—your estate may be more than just homes, cars, investments, and retirement accounts. Think about the activities, vacations, and other benefits you’ve enjoyed together, and you may find there are additional items up for discussion.… Read More

In a marriage dissolution, individuals frequently ask what assets and debts are subject to the Court’s orders in a divorce.  All separate and community property is subject to division and distribution in a divorce.  As such, it is important to understand what is a spouse’s separate property versus what is the marital community property.  Courts… Read More

What is a Committed Intimate Relationship? In Washington State, common-law marriage—legal recognition of marriage without having formally registered their relationship—is not lawful.  However, Washington courts have adopted a definition for a long-term, unmarried relationship known as a committed intimidate relationship (“CIR”). The existence of a CIR creates a presumption that all property acquired during the… Read More

“I am involved in an estate dispute as an heir/beneficiary of the disputed estate… what do I do?” Throughout my years counseling individuals through the resolution of their estate disputes, this question has occurred frequently.  As an heir or beneficiary in a disputed estate, it is always recommended to hire an attorney, even if only… Read More

The lawyers and staff at Beresford Booth are blessed to be involved with many special organizations throughout the greater Pacific Northwest.  This month, given that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, we think it highly appropriate to highlight Dawson Place.  Dawson Place seeks to help children victimized by sexual and physical abuse and specializes in… Read More