Recent News

Your Last Party: Why Funeral Planning Matters

Washington State Business, Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Rachel J. Wright | 6/23/2026
Funeral planning tends to fall into the same category as updating your estate plan, reviewing your insurance, or cleaning out the garage: everyone agrees it should probably happen, and almost everyone would rather do literally anything else. But here’s the thing. Your funeral, memorial, burial, cremation, composting, water-cremation, tree-planting, space-launching sendoff may be the only… Read More

My Marriage Was Short, Can I Get an Annulment?

Washington State Divorce & Family Law Lawyer Mackenzie O. Bretz | 6/23/2026
In some cases, marriages end soon after they begin, prompting individuals to consider annulment as an alternative to divorce. In Washington State, a Petition for Invalidity of Marriage serves as the legal equivalent of an annulment. However, this remedy is available only under specific statutory circumstances. RCW 26.09.040 outlines the statutory grounds for obtaining an… Read More

Showing “Substantial Likelihood of Liability” in Washington Derivative Claims

Washington State Business Lawyer Caleb J. Tingstad | 6/23/2026
In a recent blog post HERE, I referenced Trimm v. Kelly, No. 86734-2-I, 2025 Wash. App. LEXIS 2666 (Ct. App. Dec. 29, 2025) (unpublished), which adopted a new demand futility test for derivative claims under Washington law. A more thorough review of Trimm’s facts and analysis of Trimm is instructive for practitioners in assessing how… Read More

I Need an Easement! Things to Consider in Washington State

Washington State Real Estate Law Lawyer Babak Shamsi | 6/17/2026
An easement is a nonpossessory right to use or enjoy someone else’s land. In other words, an easement grants the holder a limited privilege to perform certain acts on someone else’s land without owning that land. It is a right to use, but not own (outright), the land owned by another. There are two major… Read More

The Importance Of Consistent Positions: Beware Of Judicial Estoppel

Washington State Litigation Lawyer Andrew M. McKenzie | 6/17/2026
Nearly two thousand years ago, the ancient Roman legal system developed a series of maxims having general applicability in court.  Around the year 161, the jurist Gaius wrote a textbook, “Institutes,” in which he set forth his philosophy of the legal status of persons, things, and civil procedure.  Gaius’s treatise became largely integrated within Roman… Read More

Open Adoption is the New Normal—What Does That Mean for Your Family?

Washington State Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Lawyer Dimitra S. Scott | 6/16/2026
For families considering adoption, the concept of open adoption can feel unfamiliar and overwhelming. Early in the process, uncertainty about the future and the impact of an open relationship drives most of my client’s questions: -Will the birth parents be involved in our child's life forever? -How much contact will we be expected to maintain?… Read More

Litigator Nick Gross – Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyer

BeresfordBooth | 6/16/2026
Please join us in congratulating Nicholas D. Gross, recognized by The National Trial Lawyers (NTL) as a Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyer again for 2026. Nick was also recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 Criminal Defense Lawyer for the last two years and a Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyer by the NTL in 2025.… Read More

David Tingstad to Speak at WSBA Seminar About Washington’s LLC Act

BeresfordBooth | 6/10/2026
This Friday, June 12,, 2026, David Tingstad, Beresford Booth Partner and Chair of the Business, Mergers and Acquisitions Team, presents continuing legal education regarding business law updates for the Washington State Bar Association. Along with Attorney Douglas Batey from Batey Business Law PLLC, David will share on the topic, “Washington’s LLC Act – How Did It… Read More