Recent News

Many employers award stocks to their employees subject to a vesting schedule.  In some cases, these awards will not fully vest for 5 or 10 years.  Microsoft is a prime example of such an employer in our region.  Your unvested Microsoft stock may very well be community property, and the community may be entitled to… Read More

When buying or selling residential or commercial real estate, the transaction can be mercifully simple- you work with your agent to sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement, work through lending and escrow, and sign a pile of paper to close. But it isn’t always simple: Is my fence on my neighbor’s lot? Do my neighbor’s… Read More

Washington State has been on a long road to recovery ever since Governor Jay Inslee first issued his original “Stay Home-Stay Heathy” proclamation on March 23, 2020.  The Governor has now amended his original Stay Home order twelve times.  The last two amendments saw the Governor begin to rollback the “County by County Phased Reopening”… Read More

Individuals regularly hold their real estate in LLCs for many reasons, including asset protection, because an LLC is a “separate legal entity” RCW 25.15.071 (3) and members are not liable for debts of the LLC RCW 25.15.126 (1).  The distinction between an individual member and an LLC was front and center in a recent Washington… Read More

Draft carefully, because ambiguous drafting may leave you at the mercy of default rules of the LLC Act.  A recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, Marx v. Morris, 925 N.W.2d 112 (Wisc. 2019), illustrates the need for careful drafting. The Case’s Significance Before delving into the facts and dispute arising out of Marx, it is important… Read More

EDMONDS, WA, (January 5, 2021) – Edmonds-based full-service law firm Beresford Booth announced today that it added two lawyers to the firm’s team. “We are thrilled to welcome these experienced lawyers to our firm,” said David C. Tingstad, the firm’s Managing Partner. “We continue to grow in response to client demand. Our new attorneys’ experience in… Read More

In last week’s post, I identified some of the key distinctions when one holds an interest in an LLC, but is not a member (see here).  Members and transferees hold different rights. This post seeks to further explore the similarities and differences between members and transferees. Rights of Members and Transferees Members and transferees share… Read More

The answer to that question is maybe, maybe not.  Most durable powers of attorney are written to be very broad in their coverage.  For example, they may include language such as, “my attorney-in-fact shall have all powers that I would have if alive and competent to act” or “the attorney-in-fact shall have all the powers… Read More

The U.S. tax code presently allows adoptive families a tax related benefit for any and all qualifying costs and fees incurred in pursuing an adoption.   The IRS allows a fairly broad definition of allowed costs and fees such that in most cases, any and all fees and costs paid to an adoption agency, an… Read More